


The Heavy Entertainment Show

by lazorjam



Series: The Robbie Repositry [3]
Category: X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Actors, Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, Coming Out, Drunk Sex, Drunkenness, Erik is a Father, Forced Relationship, M/M, Outing, POV Multiple, Phone Sex, Protective Erik, Shower Sex, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-01
Updated: 2017-01-03
Packaged: 2018-09-03 10:14:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 28,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8708554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lazorjam/pseuds/lazorjam
Summary: “This is why you’re never going to win an Oscar, Papa.”Nina loves her Papa a lot, but she loves Charles Xavier more. Erik has never been able to work out quite why his daughter is so fascinated by the British actor, but, after the pair land leading rolls in Matthew Vaughn's latest blockbuster, he begins to realise exactly why Nina is so in love with him.





	1. The Charisma's Non-Negotiable

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Elena here. 
> 
> Thanks for choosing to read THES! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I'm enjoying writing it!
> 
> x

“He sounds really posh but he’s actually from Glasgow.” Nina informed me whilst we sat eating breakfast. I placed down my glass of orange juice and sat back looking at her with a smirk. “Oh, Papa don’t look at me like that.” She groaned, standing up and picking up her plate, taking it over to the sink. 

“Wie was?” I asked her, placing my now empty glass down on the table. “Like I know that you secretly Liebe Mr Xavier, eh?” She glared at me and put her plate on the draining board, spinning around to look at me, arms crossed across her chest.

“He’s charming and very handsome. You know, he better come for dinner at some point.” I stood and went over to the sink, washing up my bowl and glass. “And you better be nice to him; I know how much you hate actors who can act in more than one genre.” She teased and I flicked water at her.

“Go get your bag, liebling. You’ll be late for school.” I told her and she chuckled to herself, humming as she walked to the hall to ready herself. I looked at myself in the oven and smiled, standing up straight and straightening my shirt, humming proudly. I always tried to look my best on the first day of filming; made a good impression on my co-stars and that. Seeing as I had never met the, according to my daughter, wonderful, beautiful and amazing Charles Xavier, I wanted to look my best. I had watched a lot of his films and yes, he was most definitely handsome, but I felt that there was no way I could yet determine how sweet of charming he was, at least not until I had met him. Though I would ensure that I got his autograph for Nina, she would murder me otherwise.

“I think you’re just jealous of him.” Nina added when she appeared again, backpack slung over her shoulder and trainers unlaced. “I would love to see you in a romcom.” She was thinking out loud now. I had to laugh to myself at that; the idea of me being romantic was terribly silly. I had never managed to hold a relationship down for longer than a few months. Even Nina’s mother was just a one night stand. As much as I hated the fact I could never settle down with everyone, it wasn’t just my fault; I just struggled to find someone who liked me as much as I liked them. “Erde zu Papa?” Nina said, waving her hands in front of my face. “I’m going to be late, and so are you.” I looked at my watch and then nodded, seeing that it was just ticking over seven o’clock.

“I’ll meet you at the car.” I said, handing her the car keys and watching her scurry off, leaving me to collect my bags and put my shoes on. The air outside was hot and sticky from the never ending summer sun and the second I opened the front door, I felt a lot groggier and less cheerful that I had a short time before. I hated summer; I hated how difficult it was to sleep and how jolly everybody else was. The winter was far nicer; you could sleep cuddled up under the duvets and wear jumpers all day long. There was also far more award ceremonies and film premiers which always meant I got less sleep anyway. It was only June, but the weather was acting like it was August.

“Good Morning Erik!” _Fuck off_ “You’re looking sharp today.” _Leave me and my daughter alone of just one day, would you?_ “Are you looking forward to working with Charles Xavier?” _He’s nothing special_ “Are you still dating Heather Lee?” _I never have and never will_. I looked over at the row of photographers who were standing behind the electric gate that led to our property. Instead of saying my thoughts aloud, I just gave them a little nod and put my sunglasses on, going down to the car and getting in and starting it, unlocking the gate and driving out, slowly rolling past the photographers to ensure I didn’t hit any of them (as much as I wanted to) and looked over to Nina who was tapping away at her phone.

“We could always chat once in awhile, you know? Rather than you just sitting there texting.” I commented and she looked over at me, shrugging. “Or am I really that boring?” She shook her head and then went back to texting.

“Just cringy. Like when you drop me off at the gate at school rather than round the corner like I always  tell you to.” She sighed and I raised an eyebrow, looking at her and then back to the road. “No one thinks your cool, Papa. Even with the expensive car and you being, you know, you.” I clutched my chest with fake hurt and sniffled.

“But I’m Erik Lehnsherr!” I argued and she tutted, shaking her head and going back to typing on her phone.

“This is why you’re never going to win an Oscar, Papa.” She muttered as we pulled onto the motorway and began to thunder towards central London.

Nina had enrolled at Queens College last year after we moved back to London from LA. It was some drive from our house in Harrow but, after agreeing that it would be better for her to go there than the local secondary, I took on role as her driver and would take her in every morning before I went off to whichever studio I was filming in. She stayed with her friends a lot of the time, so it tended to only be on a Monday or Friday nights when I went to pick her up from whatever party she had been to that night. She was a great girl, but it seemed the less time she had spend at home the better. I didn’t mind, it was just nice to have some peace in the evenings.

“Well there you go, liebling. Have a good day. Liebe dich.” I said to her as we pulled up around the corner of the school and I parked. “And I will send Charles your love.” She huffed and leant over to kiss my cheek before getting out of the car, pulling her backpack over her shoulder and walking off, giving me a little wave as she turned the corner and disappeared. “Ich liebe dich auch, Papa.” I muttered to myself and then started the car again, beginning the drive to Pinewood.

\---

“Erik! How are you, mate?” I grunted the second I heard Matthew’s gleeful tone. I offered him a half arsed smile and continued my way into the studio, the golf cart I had been travelling in speeding back off to the car park. “It’s been months.” He added and I nodded, clearly not catching onto my frankly foul mood that had been brought on after some road rage on the M25 thanks to a lorry cutting me up and making me miss the turn off.

“Fine.” I told him, rolling up the sleeves of my shirt and running a hand through my hair which was stuck up on end after I had made the frankly stupid decision to take down to roof of my car whilst driving here. “Has, it’s good to see you keeping well.” I told him as we entered the studio together and the crew fell silent, all looking at me. “Mornin.” I muttered and then went over to the refreshments table, picking up a bottle of water and flicking the lid off, taking a sip and looking over to the empty chair where Charles should have been. It was just after nine and I was late anyway. I somewhat hoped that he too would be late so it didn’t look quite so bad on me.

But alas it was too good for me to hope that and he soon appeared, wiping his wet hands on his jean clad thighs. It was odd seeing him in the flesh rather than on the television or in the big poster Nina had on the wall of her bedroom. He was a lot shorter than I was expecting, but still of manageable height. He perked up when he saw me and offered me a smile, then approaching me. Whilst short, his legs were long and thin and his arms were muscular, my eyes lingering on them for a little longer than was probably deemed friendly.

“Erik. It’s wonderful to finally meet you.” He said, giving me one of his award winning grins. “I’m a massive fan of your work.” I was somewhat flattered by that, mainly because I knew that Nina would be screaming her head off.

“And my daughter is a big fan of yours.” I informed him and his smile faltered slightly “I tolerate you.” I said with a grin, hoping that my sarcasm came through. He chuckled and then patted me on the bicep.

“What’s her name? I was unaware you had a daughter, Erik!” He said and I was confused as to why he _would_ know that I had a daughter. I figured that he had been googling me, something that I would have done had Nina not known quite so much about him. _His favourite colour is navy blue and he’s 5’7” and his parents are Scottish but he lived in Leeds until he was 16 and then moved to London to do some films. He likes cats but had a dog named Richie who died when he was 21. Oh, and his favourite food is Italian._

“Nina. She's sixteen. I don't talk about her a lot, not to the press anyway.” I told him and he smiled at me, nodding and then looking around, picking up one of the spare scripts that was laying on the table.

_Dear Nina_

_Your father tells me you're a fan? Glad to hear it. I hope to see you soon,_

_Love,_

_Charles Xavier_

He handed the script to me and smiled proudly. Whilst I had never asked for him to sign something, he clearly knew that I was going to ask him anyway. It was almost like he was psychic, but a bit obnoxious to assume that I wanted him to sign something for her. I took the script from him and muttered a soft thank you before looking over to Matthew who was approaching Charles and I.

“Good to see my two leading ladies getting on so well,” he clapped us both on the back and offered us a big grin. “Apologies about the cast situation, Charles. Bloody Taron, eh?” He sighed and then offered me a smile. “But at least you've got my lovely shark.” He gave me a side hug and I grimaced, then looking over at Charles who was grinning at me.

“Oh it's not a problem, Matthew! I am a massive fan for Erik’s. I just hope that Taron gets well soon.” He said with a sympathetic smile before looking over to the set where the finishing touches were being made. “Oh good. Seems we’re finally ready to start.” He said gleefully and then excused himself, going to talk to the makeup artist who started to run makeup brushes under his eyes.

“I'm not a shark.” I muttered to Matthew before going to get into my costume for the scene. 

\---

“So Nina, who’s your dad fucking this week?” I looked up at Chloe as she sat on the edge of my desk. “Oh come on, was just a joke, Lehnsherr.” She huffed as I sat back in my chair and looked at her over the top of my glasses.

“I didn't find it very funny.” I informed her as she let out a dramatic sigh and rolled off the table. “My papa is still my papa, you know? He might be Erik Lehnsherr but he's still my papa.” She held her hands up defensively and then went back over to her group of friends, leaving me alone again. I was, of course, jealous of my father. The idea of spending all day with Charles Xavier rather than studying for my biology exam was far too appealing, and whilst I knew I could just get the tube and the train to his studio, I would never be allowed home ever again. I liked my bedroom far to much to ever warrant doing that.

“Good morning.” Sacha said down beside me and dumped her books on the table with a grunt. “Excited for our wonderfully hard exam tomorrow?” I sent her a glance which conveyed the message of _shut the fuck up_ pretty well. Well enough for her to know to just nod and sort out her array of textbooks. “How was your weekend?” She asked and I shrugged.

“Stayed with papa,” she looked up at me with a smile. “We had takeaway and went to see a play his friend is in. It was mediocre but still, I got to spend time with him which was nice I guess.” I told her and she sighed, resting her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her palms.

“You're forever complaining about not seeing your dad enough but when you do, you make it sound like the lamest thing in the world. You know, you could always go home more often. You live in Harrow, not Holland.” She said with the same _stop trying to make bullshit excuses_ look that I do often received. “Where is he now? Home? Pinewood?”

“Pinewood.” I said. “He's filming for a film he had to step into save. Charles Xavier is in it too.” She sat up and cracked her knuckles. “No, Sash. I know what you're thinking.” She raised her eyebrows innocently and I shook my head, looking down at the green textbook in front of me.

“We could study there, you know? I'm sure they won't mind.” She said thoughtfully. “I can get the train back once we’ve finished. It's not a bother.” I rubbed my face with my hands and looked up at her, her mouth in a wide grin and eyes mischievous. “We don't even have to be here; we're on study leave. So long as we’re studying, it doesn't matter.” I shook my head and sighed.

“But if we get expelled, you're not coming to Cannes with me.” I said and she nodded happily, standing and scooping up her books. “I hate you.” I muttered and then stood too, putting everything into my backpack and walking out of the study room behind her, the two of us then sneaking out and getting a bus to Paddington Station.

I could only think about what papa would say when he saw us. He had already been stressed out enough about learning his newest script, let alone trying to cope with two tired teenagers on set. I looked over at Sacha who was contently reading her book on social theories and then back out of the window. I thought about texting papa to say we were on our way, but perhaps he could do with a surprise? I hoped that my presence cheered him up a bit after his apparently tedious last few weeks at ‘work’, i.e. one too many newspaper articles and a few too many parties that he had been forced to attend by his manager, Mark. He’d barely slept and I was worried about him.

“Come on, here we are.” Sacha announced as the bus came to a stop in its bay and the entire bus stood up to leave, me and Sash being last off after she had yelled at a man who had tried to touch her arse, causing an argument in the middle of the aisle. I kept my head hung and tried to get her to move off of the bus before we were either filmed or asked to leave by the driver. Either would have been equally embarrassing and would have scarpered our attempt at subtly travelling to Pinewood.

“Wir machen eine Szene.” I muttered under my breath and then scooted to push Sacha, who was still screaming at the stranger, off the bus. I then took her hand and dragged her in the direction of the station before she could argue with me. We entered and I looked up at the time board, trying to work out which train would take us to Langley. We could get a cab from there to the studios, rather than the 45 minute walk. “Platform four. Come on.” I said to her and then took her hand as we made our way to the platform, the train slowly rolling in. We slid through the open barriers and then onto the train which was already far too hot and stuffy for my liking. I sat down in the window seat and Sacha sat beside me, putting her books on her lap and letting out a little huff of glee.

“This is so exciting isn't it, Nina! Oh I can't wait to see your dad again. He's charming.” I hummed in agreement and then looked up at her.

“Please never call Papa charming ever again.” I said to her, my annoyance clear. “He’s Herr Lehnsherr to you, you know that.” I said and had my comment returned with a tut and an eye roll. “He makes the rules, not me.” She nodded and then looked down the aisle to a couple who were sat snogging a few seats down, them then distracting her for the entire ride into Langley.

\---

“Miss Lehnsherr! It's wonderful to see you again!” Joshua, the far too friendly member of Papa’s security team, chimed as he approached the window of our taxi. Of course the men in the booth that operated the traffic going into Pinewood didn't believe that I was me, so had called Joshua down after I had shown them my debit card where ‘MISS A R LEHNSHERR” was printed. “Let them through, boys.” He commanded and the men nodded, opening up the gates and letting the taxi through. He drove us up to the main entrance and then stopped, Sacha and I splitting the £20 taxi fee.

“Papa is going to murder me.” I muttered as Joshua caught up with us and lead Sacha and I through to the reception where we were signed in and given passes for the set. The hot sun and the combination of fear and panic had left my skin feeling tacky and far too warm for it to be normal. Both Sacha and Joshua could sense my discomfort so, whilst making out way to our gold buggy, attempted to converse about that exam we were having tomorrow. Whoever thought that it was a good idea to have exams in the summer was clearly stupid; it brought no glee to anyone and the hall at school was always far too stuffy for me to even think about photosynthesis and the structure of the heart.

“Miss Lehnsherr, whatever is the matter?” Joshua asked me as he got into the driver's seat of the buggy, Sacha beside him and me behind him. “You seem so sad. Has something happened?” I shook my head and gave him a smile.

“No, I'm quite content. Just worried about my exam tomorrow.” I informed him and he hummed understandingly in reply. “And it's Nina, please.” I said and he nodded, then starting the buggy and driving us through the acres of sets and grassy land until we arrived at the set I assumed was the one Papa was working in. I had seen a lot of the sets before but never this one; it was possibly the smallest in size and, rather than being a never ending white building, it was quite a quaint and pleasant looking glass building. I assumed that it was the newest studio from how dark the tarmac outside was and how clean the glass was.

I hopped off the cart, Joshua and Sacha joining me before the three of us made our way into the studio, flashing our passes at the muscular security guards who were blocking the door from the foyer to the studio. They opened the doors for us and we went through, Sacha gasping as she looked around at the new, shiny equipment that was decorating the studio.

“Herr Lehnsherr is recording at the moment so you must remain silent when we get to the set.” Joshua whispered to us and I nodded, looking at the people who were milling about and offering them a smile which was always graciously returned.

\---

_“Michael, what on Earth is the matter with you? You sound so panicked on the phone and now you're here. Please, pray tell.” Charles cupped Erik’s soft face and gave him a smile. “What is it, my love.” The taller man turned his head to move the hand from his face and then looked at his companion._

_“Oh, it’s nothing. Silly old me panicking like always. You know how it is. Oh; who’s this?” Erik looked to the man who was sprawled out on the sofa in only his underpants and then to the other three men by him. “I'm interrupting something, aren't I.”_

_“Oh not at all darling. Come have a seat, Daniel is just bringing in the wine.” The elder man told him, patting the empty space on the other sofa. “You look like you need a glass, sweetheart.” He mused and Erik looked to his friend._

  
_“James, is there somewhere private we could talk? Somewhere where your,” he broadly gestured to the four men who were in the room with them, “friends won't hear.” Charles tilted his head in curiosity and then nodded, leading him upstairs._

_\---_

“Okay that’s the one.” Mathew called and I turned from Charles and to Matthew who was proudly grinning at us from his chair.

“That was brilliant, my friend.” Charles said to me, hand patting me on the back as we went off set. He threw me a bottle of water and I cracked the lid off, taking a long gulp before turning when there was a tap on my shoulder.

“Herr Lehnsherr, you have some visitors.” Joshua told me and I raised an eyebrow, then looking behind him and to Nina who was stood behind him, eyes locked with mine and hands nervously rubbing together.

“Liebling.” I said to her with a smile as she stepped forward and I pulled her into a hug which she returned. “Warum bist du hier?” I asked her and she looked over to the curly haired girl beside her, a smile on her face. “Sacha, hello.” I said to her after I pulled away from Nina. “Bist du OK?” I asked and she nodded.

“Wunderbar, Papa.” She told me, relaxing into my side as I wrapped an arm around her. “Just missed you, and so did Sach. We were wondering if we could hang here and revise for our exam?” She asked and I looked over at Matthew who was chatting to Charles.

“I'll have to ask Matthew, liebling. Give me a moment.” I said and then kissed her temple, making my way over to Matthew and Charles. “Matthew, my daughter was wondering if she and her friend could revise on set. They would be no trouble.” I asked Matthew and his eyes lit up.

“Little Nina? Oh of course not! Can I see her? Do you remember that time you both came to have a look at the Kingsman set and she didn't leave poor Colin alone? How old was she then? Nine, ten?” He asked me and I nodded.

“Nine, I think.” I told him and he smiled, nodding happily. “Charles, I am more than sure she would like to meet you too.” I told the Englishman and he smiled, nodding and then following Matthew and I over to where my daughter was stood, talking to her friend quietly. She looked over at me and then squeaked slightly when she saw Charles, grinning madly at him. Matthew laughed and nudged his shoulder with mine.

“I’m pretty sure it’s not me that she’s grinning at.” I watched as Charles began to talk to Nina who was stood staring up at him in awe, her eyes shining with love as she listened to what Charles was saying and nodded along, occasionally replying to his questions. “She’s grown so much. She was so tiny when I last saw her and now look at her, she’s a woman.” He sighed and patted me on the back. “You’ve done a stirling job, Erik. You should be proud of yourself.” He said and then gave Nina a hug when she finished talking to Charles, who was now chatting to Sacha.

“Onkel Matt!” She said with a grin, giving him a tight squeeze and then stepping backwards to look up at him. “Oh it’s nice to see you again. Papa didn’t tell me you were directing; only babbled about Charles.” I flushed pink and glanced over to Charles who was now listening to us, his soft, airy laugh filling the studio.

“Oh Erik my friend.” Charles laughed as he came over to me, wrapping an arm around my waist. “I am a huge fan of yours too, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You were incredible in Shame. I’ve watched it a lot.” He said and I blushed even more, knowing that Shame was probably the one film I didn’t want him to have seen. But then, perhaps his repeated viewing of it meant something more than him just being a fan of my acting.

“Honoured, Charles.” I told him with a smile and he smiled back, our eyes locking for a few seconds before I looked back at Nina. “Liebling, how about I show you to my trailer, eh? Charles and I were just off to get coffee. Do you girls want one?” I asked as Nina, Sasha and I made our way down the corridor and outside, hopping on one of the golf buggies. Charles was running after us and then hopped on beside me.

“Sorry. I thought maybe we could go to the canteen and get some iced coffee after we’ve dropped the girls off? This bloody sun is making me feel 100°.” He said and I nodded, the cart then jolting to a start, sending me and Charles jolting forward and our arms flailing out in search of something. I ended up grabbing one of the poles on the cart and Charles’ leg whilst he gripped onto my wrist. I chuckled and then patted myself down as we whizzed along the empty roads in the complex, eventually reaching the trailer park. I hopped off and led the girls through to my trailer which was next to Charles’. Mine was less like a caravan and instead more like a small flat compacted into the back of a motor home. It had a master bedroom at one end and a bathroom beside it. The living room diner was spacious and plush, whilst the kitchen was tucked away and composed of only a fridge, sink, microwave, kettle and some cupboards.

“You can use whatever you want in here and just give Joshua a buzz if you need anything. The bell beside the sofa goes straight through to him.” I said as the girls went in and looked around, immediately opening the windows and putting on the fan that I kept by the television. The great thing about my trailer was that it was always the same. Nico, one of the management team, had the pleasure of driving it to wherever I was filming so that I was always surrounded by familiarities. There was a photo of me and Nina hung on the wall and another one taped to the wall beside my bed. I rarely slept in the bed, it was more for convenience if I wanted a nap during filming or if I had company at any point.

“Danke, Papa.” Nina said to me as she sat down at the table, Sacha opting to wander around for a while.

“Thank you, Herr Lehnsherr.” Sacha then said to me and I stepped out, shutting the door behind me and then going back to the buggy where Charles was sat, his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses and dark, curly hair waterfalling down his face. If he was a woman, then I would have been all over him. His hands were so soft and his skin so milky and warm that it knotted my stomach in a way that no man had ever knotted it before. I sat down beside him and he patted my thigh with his hand.

“You've done a wonderful job with her, Erik.” He said and then looked up at me, the deep blue of his eyes visible through the lenses. “Have you always looked after her?” He asked and I nodded, tightly gripping onto the armrest of the buggy as we jolted to a start. I let out a quiet squeak when Charles’ long fingers gripped my thigh as he once again tried to steady himself. “Oh my friend I am so sorry.” He said with a laugh, swiftly removing his hand and placing it back on his lap.

“Thank you… and yes, I have. Well, ever since she was two. I still got to see her then but it's just been me and her since then.” I told him and he gave me a kind smile. “She's amazing. Ever so bright; she's predicted straight A*s in her GCSEs.” I said proudly and his smile turned into a wide grin.

“Oh Erik that’s wonderful! She must take after her father.” He said with a grin and I blushed heavily, shaking my head.

“I left school with a O Level in Drama and Physics. She definitely doesn't take after me.” I told him with a sad laugh. “I gave her the education that I never had. Want her to grow up and have a solid job.” I said, my eyes wandering over the clear signs of interest on his face. His lips were pinned up into a smile and, when he slipped his sunglasses off and tucked them into the pocket of his shirt, his stunning eyes were bright with interest.

I blinked slowly and looked back at him, my eyes casting over the soft curves of his face. His entire body was very feminine, but his ginger stubble and defined jaw reclaimed his masculine appearance. He was, all in all, very handsome. I turned from his face and to the roads we were running along, his hand reaching over to grip mine as we sharply turned a corner and we both nearly went tumbling forward and off the cart. I turned to look back at him and shook my head.

“You need more core strength, Charles.” I informed him with a smile. “Perhaps we could work on it between filming sessions one day?” I suggested and he raised a curious eyebrow.

“And how would we do that, exactly?” He asked me and I shrugged, giving his hand a squeeze and then looking back to the road.

“I have absolutely no idea.”

_\---_

_“Oh Michael what’s the matter?” Charles asked as the two sat down on the bed, the elder man placing his head in his hands and letting out a small, sad sob. “Oh gosh.” Charles sighed and and wrapped an arm around him, the other leaning into his chest. “Come on, hold it together. This isn't the Michael I know.” He said, rubbing his back soothingly and then watching him pull away, his eyes bloodshot and sore from the crying._

_“I can't keep acting like this anymore.” Erik said between soft sobs. “Like I'm happy with my wife, my beautiful boys… That’s not the life I intend to leave and I simply don't know what to do.” Charles sighed and looked at his companion with a frown. “I'm sick of pretending and being so unsure and hateful of myself. It keeps me awake at night, I haven't had any sleep in a long time.” His voice was croaky and so honest that Charles could do nothing but hold him._

_“Then you must go to sleep. Here, lay down and I'll come to check on you later.” Charles said as he gently stroked Erik’s dark ginger hair in an attempt to sooth him._

_“I don't want to sleep, James. I want you. I want you to remind me of who I really am.” He said and Charles sighed, shaking his head. “Please. I've missed you so desperately.” He begged, Charles unable to ignore the begging tones in his voice. “Just…” He sighed and shut his eyes, pressing his forehead against Charles’. “Just like the old days.”_

 

\---

I didn't want to move when Matthew eventually called cut on the scene and the crew began to clap us. I opened my eyes and looked into Charles’ eyes, the now soft shade of blue instantly making me feel more relaxed about the position we were in. His fingers were still in my hair and our lips were still only a few millimetres apart. I pulled away and then patted him on the shoulder, my action returned with a kind smile from the Englishman who then stood up and flexed, his shoulder blades pressing through the back of his shirt. I looked up at him and bit my lip, confused by the feeling in my gut.

“Come on, Erik.” He said and I nodded, standing too and the two of us walking off set together, my shoulder brushing against his as we made our way back to the refreshment counter. I picked up a bottle of water and an apple, sitting down in my chair and looking up at Charles as he picked up a bottle of water and a bag of popcorn, sitting beside me and pulling out his phone, handing it to me. “I won't go through the cringey chat. But can I have your number?” He asked me and I nodded, placing my bottle between my legs and tapping in my mobile number. I was unsure what he meant by cringey chat; it would be one of two things. Either him chatting me up or giving an awkward speech about how it was probably best we had each other's numbers incase something were to happen, which was basically the idiots version of the first option.

“Of course, Charles.” I said to him as I filled in the rest of my details. “Perhaps we could go out for a drink at some point? They've just opened a wonderful rooftop bar in Harrow that I'm wanting to try.” I told him, handing him back his phone. He nodded eagerly at my suggestion and then looked at his phone, smiling softly.

“I would love that, my friend.” He said and then put his phone back into his pocket and having a drink of water, his Adam's apple smoothly bobbing up and down as he swallowed. I watched it intensely and then swallowed myself, looking back to the apple which was resting on my thigh, rubbing it on my trousers and then having a bite. I got my phone out and texted Nina, ensuring that she was alright and asking if she needed anything. “I'm free tomorrow night if that’s convenient for you?” He suggested and I nodded.

“Tomorrow should be just fine, Charles. I'm looking forward to it."

_\---_

It would have been wrong to have not spent the first half an hour of our time in the trailer looking around and investigating what was kept in the draws. My particular highlight was the signed copy of the latest Take That album framed on the wall, whilst Sacha’s was the top draw of his bedside draw which was crammed with all sorts of different condoms and lubricants. We both stood there investigating it for a long time, Sacha laughing maniacally as she waved the box of Chanel condoms about whilst I sat on the bed, cringing.

The rest of the day, however, was spent with us sat at the dining table, working our way through the final four chapters of our textbook and then spending the rest of the day on the little deck of the trailer, watching as the carts rolled past us and through to the other trailers. It was relaxing and meant that I got to lay in the sun and tan for a little while, the hot hair feeling wonderful on my back and sending my mind back when we were back in Los Angeles. I didn't miss it, though. It was a whole different world and not one that I enjoyed. The people were rude and obnoxious, the media were even more intrusive than they were in England and it never rained. I loved the rain.

“What time does your dad finish?” Sasha asked me, rolling on her side to look at me. I squinted at my watch and then looked back at her, shrugging.

“He shouldn't be too long now.” I told her and she nodded, then scooting back into the shade to continue reading her copy of Animal Farm. “Normally finishes at six.” I said and sat up, gently poking the hot skin on my upper arm before going inside and packing my bag back up. I looked around the trailer and then sat down on the table with a small smile. Five years ago, we were living in a tiny flat above a antique shop in Dublin and now here we were, papa off filming what would probably end up being the biggest film of the year, we had a beautiful home, I went to the best school in the UK and we were both happy. Especially papa; he was far happier that he had been all of those years before. I was beyond proud of him.

“Frankie said that Chloe and Anne-Marie got into a fight at break. Chloe had her extensions torn out.” Sasha informed me as she came back inside, showing me the photo of the blonde girl laying face down on the carpet in the common room with her slide in locks of hair scattered around her. “That’ll teach her for being an obnoxious bitch.” She mumbled and I hummed in agreement, then looking around the room again. “You're so lucky, you know? To have a father who loves you so much.” She said and I sighed, looking over at her and giving her a sad smile.

“Oh Sash, you know that your mum and dad both love you as much as Papa loves me.” I said to her sadly. “It is a shame you can't see them more, though.” I said and she nodded, perching beside me and resting her head on my shoulder, her thick afro of curly hair gently poking my cheek.

“I’m going home over summer though. Mum and dad are letting me work for them for a little bit, choosing colour patterns and that sort of thing.” Sacha’s parents were pretty incredible fashion designers who still lived in their home country of Mauritius. They travelled all over the world to renovate celebrities homes and even offered to come and do up our house for us when we first moved back to London. We declined their kind offer and instead spent my autumn half term painting and decorating. “It’ll just be nice to spend some time with them, and to see little Kiana again.” She said with a smile and then yawned. “Can you get Joshua to come pick me up? I've got an Uber on the way.” She said after pressing the screen of her phone a few times and pulling the strap of her backpack over her shoulder. I went over to the caller bell and pressed it, the little light flashing to say that someone was coming over right away.

“Have a nice evening.” I said to her as she picked up her books and hugged them to her chest.

“Oh and you. Send your love to your dad for me, and his gorgeous pal.” She said with a toothy grin as she made her way to the door. “We might have to come back here more often.” She said with a chuckle and then opened the door. “Goodbye, mein Freund.” She called as she left the trailer and made her way over to Joshua who had just pulled up. I waved her off and then sunk back onto the sofa, kicking my legs up and patiently waiting for Papa to arrive.

 

\---

The feeling in my gut was still there when Charles and I were dropped off at our trailers just before seven. He had given me a hug and a peck on the cheek which had made my stomach so the same thing it had when I kissed Lauren for the first time. It was a combination of shock, confusion and glee which I hadn't felt in almost seventeen years. I stood dazed for a little while and Charles had patted me on the back with a laugh and then wished me a pleasant evening, going into his trailer and shutting the door behind him. I turned to my trailer and went inside, looking over to Nina who was fast asleep on the sofa, her body in an awkward position that would be, in no way, comfortable. I left her like that and then went through into the bathroom to have a shower, my body hot and longing for the feel of the cold water as some sort of comfort.

I had stripped off into my underwear, ready to take them off and get into the shower, when there was a gentle knock at the door. I made my way over and opened the door, ensuring Nina hadn’t been awoken, and then opened the door, looking at Charles who was looking back up at me with wide eyes and raised brows.

“Erik.” He said, his eyes not-so-subtly running over my body. “May I,” he cleared his throat and ran a hand through his short hair. “May I come in?” He asked and I nodded, stepping back and gesturing for him to enter. I checked on Nina and saw that she was stirring, so sent a quick glance in Charles’ direction. He already seemed to know what I mean and made his way down towards the other end of the room so our talking wouldn't wake her. His eyes were still casting over my body though, his bottom lip gently bitten. I went back over to him after adjusting Nina’s leg so she wouldn't wake up with a painful hip.

“How may I be of assistance?” I asked him as he tried to compose himself and look away from my thighs. “Something up?” He shook his head and smiled at me.

“Oh not at all, my friend. I was just wondering if I could have a lift, my driver has had a family emergency.” He asked, nervous hands rubbing together as he spoke. “Only through to Wimbledon, I do believe it's on your way home?” It was in fact in completely the opposite direction to home, but I wasn't going to tell him. The more time I spent with Charles, the better. “And I'll do whatever you want to say thank you.” He said, voice changing and becoming far more seductive and low. So much so that I could feel a twitch in my cock. I looked down at myself and then to him, nodding. His long lashes were casting shadows over his eyes and his bottom lip was now flushed deep pink and glistening with saliva. He truly was attractive.

“Of course, Charles. Of course. But are you not in need of a shower first?” I questioned and he gave me a knowing smile. “Perhaps we could save some water and share, hmm?” I suggested and he nodded, his hand gently reaching out to touch my side. I felt the same bolts of electricity shoot through me as he did so and then let out a quiet grumble. Whilst I may have never been attracted to a man before, the softness of Charles’ skin under my rough fingertips and the beauty of his eyes made it impossible for me to not think about how incredible his lips would feel on mine or the feeling his nails would give me as they ran down my back. “Come.” I said and took his hand, giving Nina a quick look to ensure she was still asleep and then led Charles into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind me. We looked at each other for a while and, before I knew it, he had me pinned against the wall, our lips moving in sync and my hands racing to undo the buttons on his shirt. I pushed the white linen off of him and ran my hands over his warm chest, humming in glee.

“Oh Erik.” He whispered, pulling his lips away from mine and wrapping his arms around my neck as I began to kiss his jaw. “Oh my friend you are wonderful.” He gasped as I nipped the milky skin on his neck, leaving a red mark. We stood kissing for a little while longer and then ventured into the shower after we had both fully undressed, the mere sight of his thin legs but muscular thighs making my knees go weak. His hair was now stuck to his forehead from the water and his cheeks were flushed, lips swollen and simply delightful. I kissed him again, my hands running down his sides before he had me against the wall, his hands running over my wet chest and down to my abs, his fingers running over each little line that was nestled there.

“You're simply…” I let out a soft grunt as his lips met mine again. “Atemberaubend.” I mumbled and then allowed him to pull me under the thick shower stream, the water coming down on us heavily. I shut my eyes and allowed him to hold me against the way again, my back pressed to the cold tiles and causing an odd sensation down my spine which was only assisted by the man who was kissing his way down to my groin. I ran my hand through his hair to keep it out of his face and kept my eyes on him as he left a dark bruise on my hip. “Oh Charles.” I grumbled and let my head relax against the wall. “So schön.” He hummed in reply and then stood again, kissing me once more before reaching over to get the shower gel.

“Let me clean you off, Erik.” He said, squirting some of the pink liquid onto his hands, beginning to run it over my chest and shoulders, his forehead creased in concentration. “Your shoulders are never ending, I swear.” He said with a soft laugh, then pressing a quick kiss to my lips, hands continuing to run over my body, the soap foaming and bubbling up on my skin. The sensation of his hot hands against my cool skin was odd and rather therapeutic, it made my skin cover in goosebumps and spark run down my spine. I reached over for the shampoo and squirted some onto my hands, then beginning to massage it into Charles’ hair, earning a satisfied putt from him as my fingers rubbed across his scalp.

We washed each other and then stepped out of the shower, wrapping up in the fluffy towels that I had invested in a months before and then went through into the hall, looking over at Nina who was now sat up on the sofa, flicking through her textbook. She glanced up at me and her eyes bulged, then looking back down at her book.

“I won't ask.” She said as I pushed Charles through into the bedroom where, to my surprise, my entire top draw was strewn across my bed, including three boxes of condoms, an unused bottle of lube and, of course, a copy of Atonement. Charles chuckled and then looked at me, stealing a quick kiss and then picking up the book which had a photo of himself and Keira Knightley on.

“Oh my friend.” He said, admiring the cover of the book and then placing it back on the bed, looking around the room. “If only you had told me.” He said and then laid down, brushing the packets and bottles away. He flicked through the book, eyes wandering over a few of the passages I had highlighted and made notes, thankfully in German, on. “I loved filming Atonement, Keira is so kind.” He said and I nodded in agreement.

“And beautiful.” I added and he looked over at me suspiciously and then nodded. “Now, let’s get out of here before Nina does start to ask questions. I want to be home by nine.” I said, sliding my towel off and walking over to my wardrobe to find a change of clothes. I tugged on a t-shirt and some skinny jeans, then turning around to look at Charles who saw sprawled out on the mattes, eyes shut and chest rising and falling. “Don't go to sleep, Charles. Come on.” I said and went over to her, gently stroking some of his wet hair out of his face. His eyes fluttered open and he looked back at me with a calm smile.

“Was simply resting my eyes.” He informed me and I laughed, sitting beside him. “And trying not to stare at your arse.” He added with a grin and I lightly hit him in the chest with the back of my hand. “But now, I'll get ready.” He said and stood, sliding the towel from himself in a way that probably wasn't meant to be sexy, but was anyway. “Erik.” He said, spinning around to look at me. “Please will you stop thinking about my thighs. It's rather degrading.” He told me and I nodded, then casting my eyes up and down his naked figure. “Or anything else in this general area.” He said, gesturing to his crotch. I nodded and then picked up the book, placing it back on the bedside table.

“Not my fault you're hung like a horse.” I said to him and he rolled his eyes, letting out a soft laugh. He made his way to the wardrobe and put on one of my t-shirts and some clean underwear, then going to fetch his underwear from its place on the bathroom floor. I put everything back inside my draw and made a mental note to question Nina on it once we got home.

I could hear Charles and Nina talking through the door, their words muffled by the wood but I assumed it was something about what on Earth we were doing and how we had ended up in this situation. I wondered the same, but after Charles’ relentless flirting whilst we were getting coffee, I felt like he had earned his reward. But I still couldn’t help but wonder why I was feeling like this. I had never fancied a man before and I certainly wasn’t gay, but there was just something about Charles that was so irresistible and beautiful that I couldn’t help but feel so enchanted by him. Plus his kindness and gentility made him all the more attractive.

“Alright, done.” Charles said as he entered my room again, doing up his belt. “Well I didn’t expect to be doing that.” He said with soft laugh and then laid beside me, yawning. “Oh I forgot quite how draining filming was.” He said to me as he nuzzled into my pillow, letting out a soft hum of pleasure. “Just leave me here. Comfy.” He mumbled, voice muffled by the pillow and hair getting the silk damp. I rubbed the small slither of skin that was on display between the bottom of his t-shirt and the top of his jeans. He hummed in joy as I did so and then looked up at me, pouting his lips. I leant down and kissed him slowly, resting my forehead against his.

“Come on, up.” I said and then stood again, picking up my phone and shoving it into my back pocket. “Otherwise you'll be too tired for our evening out tomorrow." I informed him and he opened his eyes slowly, when sliding off the bed and standing, ruffling his hair in a failed attempt to dry it. He was like a wet dog, his hair frizzy and sticking up on end in a few different places, something that I thought was impossible. 

"Right, sure." He said and then let out the cutest yawn that I had ever seen. His face scrunched up and his eyes shut, hand covering his mouth and then fingers gently rubbing his very tired eyes. "Though I may fall asleep in the car, if that's alright with you." He said as I made my way to the bedroom door, opening it and then looking over to Nina who was staring back at me, smiling in a knowing manner that scared me slightly. 

"Fine by me, Charles." I told him as I picked up my script and car keys from the dining table, twirling the key around my fingers a few times as we waited for Nina to scoop up her books.

"How'd you do that, Erik?" Charles asked me, gesturing to the key that I was twirling around my fingers. I looked over my shoulder to him and shrugged. 

"Magic." I told him with a grin as Nine shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"He can manipulate anything magnetic." She told Charles who nodded, impressed. "I can manipulate water." She said and Charles raised his eye brows, patting my shoulder. I turned to look at him and he smiled at me 

 _"And I'm telepathic."_ I shuddered at the sound of his voice in my head and then grinned at him, his hands squeezing my shoulder gently. "Cool, right?" Charles said and I nodded in agreement. He then looked over to Nina who was putting her bag back on. Her head immediately turned and she looked at Charles in shock, then laughing and beaming at him. "Oh my friends I'm glad I'm not the only one out there with special powers." He sighed and I looked into his eyes, the same feeling of fondness coming over me and making my stomach flutter. 

For many years, I had thought that I was the only person with odd powers in the world. Even when I had Nina, I was in a firm belief that we were the only people who could do such odd things. Nina's mother had no powers, so it must have been a mutation of my genes that led to her being able to manipulate and control water. It had always made bath time rather difficult when she was younger. Instead of sitting and splashing in the tub, she would use her hands to create little whirlpools and high waves in an attempt to entertain, and at some point almost drown, herself. But she had let her powers rest and rarely used them, unless she desperately needed to use them, like when we were living in LA and a man got into trouble out at sea. She had ended up on the front pages of several of LA's biggest newspapers for saving his life, but we were both fearing that we would be probed by the local police department. We, thankfully, weren't.

But now I knew that it wasn't just our acting that united Charles and I. We both had powers that no one else had. We were special and unique, but both more powerful that we thought. As a trio, Nina, Charles and I could probably destroy the world without leaving London. I thought about that a lot, that if I used my powers more and trained myself, I would be able to end the world with just a few hand gestures. But the world was doing alright at the moment, so I decided to not do that and instead focus on my acting career and putting food on the table for Nina and I. We had struggled for a long time, so being able to support her and give her what she needed now was one of the greatest honours.

" _You have every right to be proud of yourself, Erik."_  Charles' lips pulled up into a smile.  _"She loves you just as much as you love her. She is so proud of you."_ I gave him a quick kiss and then opened the trailer door, stepping out into the humid air and immediately feeling far less blissed out than I did in that shower. Even at almost eight pm the weather was treating us like we were back in LA. I turned my head and waited for the other two to come and join me, Charles talking to Nina, the two chuckling at something Charles had whispered. I rolled my eyes at them and then hopped onto the gold buggy that Joshua had left for us. 

"Come on, you two." I said, looking over my shoulder at the pair as they bent double in laughter at something Nina had said. I was pleased that they were getting on; I knew that Nina would fall even more for him the second that she set her eyes on him, but Charles had surpassed my expectations. He was funny, calming, gorgeous and a mutant just like Nina and I.

I would have said that things were going incredibly well between us, but I didn't want to tempt fate. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> References:  
> 1\. Nina Lehnsherr is Erik's daughter in XMA.  
> 2\. Alicia Vikander played Heather Lee in Jason Bourne.  
> 3\. Matthew Vaughn directed First Class and wrote First Class and Days Of Future Past.  
> 4\. Michael Fassbender looks like a shark.  
> 5\. Taron Egerton played Eggsy in Kingsman, which was directed by Matthew Vaughn.  
> 6\. Take That sing Love Love, the song during the credit sequence of First Class.  
> 7.The chapter title comes from [The Heavy Entertainment Show by Robbie Williams](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp_Mt2SbuGg).
> 
> German to English:  
> Wie was? - Like what?  
> Liebe- Love  
> Liebling- Darling  
> Erde zu Papa? - Earth to dad?  
> Liebe dich- love you  
> Ich liebe dich auch, Papa - I love you too, dad  
> Wir machen eine Szene - We’re making a scene  
> Herr- Mr  
> Warum bist du hier? - Why are you here?  
> Bist du OK? - Are you OK?  
> Wunderbar, Papa - Wonderful, dad  
> Danke, Papa - Thanks, dad  
> Atemberaubend - breathtaking/stunning  
> So schön - so beautiful


	2. Liebe und Schmerz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erik is so bloody problematic sometimes.
> 
> *
> 
> Contains sex (sort of) and description of violence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kudos and lovely feedback on chapter one! Amazed how many reads that this has had in such a short space of time! X

Nina having an exam the next day meant that she went straight to bed as soon as we got in, just after half nine. After having taken Charles home and stopping to watch the sunset for a little while, we were both exhausted after a long day of work. The paparazzi were still hanging around outside when we pulled up to the gates of our home and I had politely declined to answer any of their questions before heading inside and shutting the door, relieved to be back in the comfort of our home. Nina had dumped her bag and disappeared upstairs, calling out ‘Schlaf gut, Papa.’, her words being followed by the slamming of her bedroom door. I made my way into the living room and shut up the curtains, flopping back onto the sofa and kicking my feet up onto the coffee table. I got my phone from my pocket and had a scroll of my notifications, noting nothing too exciting. There was a few Facebook notifications, but all in all doing too exciting. I unlocked it and went to my contacts, scrolling until I was met with Charles’ number. I clicked on it and then sent him a quick text

_Thanks for today, Charles. EL x_

I tapped send and then placed my phone down on the sofa cushion beside me, then curling up and staring at the screen patiently, waiting for his reply. I felt like a teenage again, all too eager to receive the next text from my colleague. I used to spend hours sat looking at the phone at home, waiting for my crush, a girl called Siobhan Wilson, to phone me and see if I wanted to to to the park, or down to one of the cafe’s in Dublin city center. The disappointment I felt when she didn’t feel always stung, and I was beginning to feel the same sad feeling in my chest. I checked the time on my phone, noting that it had only been a minute since I sent the text. I laughed at myself and then shook my head, turning on the television and going to get a bottle of beer from the fridge. When I returned, the screen of my phone was lit up with a text notification. I sat down and opened the message, grinning to myself.

_Oh no, Erik. Thank YOU. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. CX x_

I picked my phone up and then drank some of my beer, contemplating just what to reply to Charles. I placed my bottle down and then tapped away at my screen, grinning to myself as I did.

_I can’t either, Charles. I miss you already. EL x_

I could imagine him chuckling and flushing pink when he read the text, a thought that made blood pump rather forcefully into my cock. I looked down at the bulge that was now in my jeans and then back to my phone, sighing in annoyance at the lack of control I had over my body.

_Oh I miss you too my friend. How’s that bruise on your hip doing? CX x_

I had forgotten about the lovebite that Charles had left on my pelvis, so unbuttoned my jeans and tugged them down to examine the red mark that was proudly sat on my left hip. I snapped a photo of it and then sent it to Charles.

_Not too bad. Though would look better if there was another on the other hip. EL x_

I ran the pad of my thumb over the mark and then laid back, shutting my eyes and letting my fingers run over the red areas where Charles had gotten a little too other enthusiastic. It was lips on me, his teeth gently grazing my skin and tongue then running over the sore areas to cool them. That feeling was sending my wild, my mind getting carried away with itself and the blood quickly beginning to rush through to my cock again, the soft fabric of my briefs becoming tight around my erection. I picked up my phone and clicked on the text Charles had sent me, letting out a gasp as I looked at the photo he had sent me. He was stood in front of the full length mirror in his bedroom, arms flexed and my loose boxer shorts covering his crotch, the outline of his erection showing through the thin black material.

_Perhaps tomorrow, my friend. But my tiredness seems to have passed and I’m wide awake. Help me get to sleep? CX x_

I picked up my bottle of beer and switched off the television, quickly making my way upstairs to my bedroom. I shut and locked the door behind me, then laying down and kicking off my jeans and t-shirt. I looked at the photo for a little while longer and began to palm myself through my boxers.

_How do you expect me to do that? EL x_

I replied, lying back at allowing my body to relax as I slipped my hand into my boxers, eyes on the screen of my phone as I waited for Charles to reply. I scrolled back to the photo of him and began to stroke myself, lip bitten and mind surging with ideas on just what he would do to me, what he had in store for me.

  
_What are you wearing? CX x_

  
So this was the game we were playing, then. I tapped my reply and then placed my phone back down beside me, thumb running along the vein that ran down the side of my cock and eyes fluttering shut. I gave myself a few, slow strokes and then picked my phone up when I felt it vibrating against my thigh. Charles was calling me. I answered, holding my phone to my ear and smiling the second I heard his soft, shallow breathing.

  
“Tell me what you're doing.” Charles asked, his voice low and seductive, every syllable sending a new shock through my body. “Right at this minute. Where are you?” He asked and I put the phone on speaker, placing it on the spare bed space beside me.

  
“I'm lying on my bed in only my t-shirt and boxers. I’m masturbating.” I said to him, waiting for his reply. He groaned in reply and I let a hand run under my t-shirt and over my chest, fingers running over my hard nipples. “What are you doing?” I asked him, stifling back a moan.

  
“I'm masturbating too.” He told me and I laughed softly. “You know, if you were here I would have you on your hands and knees by now.” He told me and I rolled my eyes.

  
“I never thought you would be the dominant one in this relationship, Charles.” I informed him and I could hear his soft laugh, the sound only making my stomach knot again. “Perhaps you've played the charming, bumbling Englishman one too many times, eh?” I asked him and he hummed.

  
“Perhaps. At least in this one I get to be a bit more hardcore.” He said and I nodded. “And I get to snog you a lot so I suppose that’ll make the ladies fancy me a bit less.” I laughed and then shook my head, running my hand over my erection a few more times. “Though they do tend to be into the whole gay thing, don't they?” He asked. That was something I had never really thought about before. I suppose there was the traditional male love for lesbians, so I guessed it would work the other way round.

  
“I don't know, Charles. But if true, there would probably be a lot of woman very turned on right now if they could hear us.” I said and he laughed again. I sat up, moving my hand from my cock and to my chest again. “Now can we go back to business?” I questioned and he laughed once more as I took off my t-shirt and dumped it on the floor beside me. “I'm only in my briefs now, Charles.”

  
“Good. Now get on your hands and knees for me.” He said and I did as I was told, my forehead resting on the pillows and arse instinctively raised in the air. “Bet you look pretty like that, Erik. All propped up and horny.” I opened my bedside table and pulled out the bottle of lube I kept stashed at the back of the draw, only using it when I had run out of condoms. “What were you getting, Erik?” He asked me and I looked at the bottle in my hand.

  
“Lube.” I informed him and he let out an impressed hum, and then a soft moan.

  
“Good. Now, slick up your fingers for me.” He said and I undid the cap of the little bottle, squirting some of the cold gel onto my fingers. “Done?” He asked and I grunted in reply. “Good boy. Now go slow, finger yourself. Use your middle finger first, and be nice and gentle.” He said, his voice soft and calming. If this was anybody else telling me what to do, I would have been terrified that someone would hack into my phone or burst into the room at any moment but with Charles, I was completely at ease. I wasn't quite so at ease when I slid the first finger into myself Oh Sheiße I groaned and I could hear Charles’ amused grunt. “Stay like that for a little while my friend, get used to it.” I placed my head on the pillow and began to work my finger into myself, slowly and carefully. The last thing I wanted to do was to hurt myself. “Alright?”

  
“Alright.” I replied, words muffled by the pillow. I continued to thrust my finger in and out of myself, gently curling my finger so that I could get a different sensation. “Oh Charles, I bet this would feel even better if you were here.” I told him and and he let out a soft laugh.

  
“Tomorrow, Erik. Tomorrow and I'll fuck you myself.” His words sent another jolt of pleasure through my body and I moved my other hand around to stroke myself, my cock now aching and desperate to come. “Go on, add another finger.” He instructed and I did, moaning at the burn I felt as I stretched myself, both fingers slowly working in and out at a pace that was far too slow for my liking. I spend up a bit and continued to stroke myself, cursing and moaning under my breath. “Come on, come for me Erik. Do whatever it takes.” He said and I could imagine him here, his fingers inside of me and his other hand gently stroking my hair as I laid beneath him, begging and crying for him. That thought made me move my fingers faster and I slowly added a third finger, curling them and allowing my fingertips to knock against my g-spot. I loudly cried out into the pillow as I felt my body convulsed and I came, warm cum squirting out onto my stomach and the bed sheets. “Oh Erik.” Charles whispered as I let my body loosen and I flopped down, fingers slowly pulling out and leaving me with an ache for something to fill me again.

  
“Oh Charles.” I mumbled and picked up my phone, laying on my back and taking of a photo of myself, my chest streaked with come and cock still limply standing up by itself. I sent the photo to him and then put it back to my ear, listening to his heavy breathing. He must have come at the same time as me, both of our breathing shallow and heavy. I could imagine what he looked like, his heels pushed into the mattress still and pale skin covered in sweat, just ready for us to shower so he could fuck me again. “That was…” I laid there in my post-orgasmic phase, trying to think of what the correct word would be.

  
“Incredible.” Charles said and I hummed in agreement, then grabbing a tissue and mopping myself up before throwing it into the bin. “Rather incredible.” He said with a soft laugh and I pulled my boxers back on, laying down on the other side of the bed.

  
“Well at least we’ve got a good story to tell the journalists when the film comes out.” I told him and he laughed. “So what did you two do on your first day on set Together? Well, we went on a date to the canteen, almost had sex in the shower and then had phone sex.” I said and he let out a loud laugh, the sound sending shivers through my body.

  
“Oh I think we would be all over the front of the papers if that happened.” He said with a chuckle and I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing, not wanting to wake Nina. “Anyway, my friend. I think I better get myself mopped up and then go to sleep. I'm exhausted.” He said and I let out a sad sigh. “Oh Erik, it’s not like we’re not going to speak to each other again. We’re filming again tomorrow.” He told me and I pulled the duvet over myself.

  
“I know, Charles.” I told him, laughing quietly. “But I always miss the people that I spend most time with in a day. And today, that was you.” I informed him and he let out an understanding hum. “But I'll let you sleep now. I hope you sleep well, meine Geliebte.” I told him and he awed. “Do you even know what that means?” I questioned and he laughed awkwardly.

  
“Nope.”

  
\---

  
Having your father keep you awake because he's having sex is one thing, but keeping you awake because he's having phone sex with your first crush is another. The walls were far thinner than I think he realised, and I could hear every word that was being uttered. I tried to block it out by putting in my earphones and listening to the Arctic Monkeys but my mind was still constantly telling me that Papa was basically having sex with Charles Xavier in the next room.

  
Dad had never struck me as being anything but straight, so to have Charles dipping in and out of his bedroom in only a towel was odd. I assumed they were just talking, but from the fresh red marks on Charles’ collar and the pink flush to his cheeks, I was fully aware of just what they’d been up to. I wasn't going to question Papa about it, but after he had kept me awake for far longer that I wanted him to, especially the night before an exam, I was going to never stop taking the piss out of him.

  
And I didn't.

  
\---

  
“You came up to bed pretty early last night, Papa.” I said as we settled down to have breakfast, a mountain of yoghurt, cereal and fruit sat in the bowl that dad had shoved in front of me. “Did you not watch Sechserpack?” I asked him and I could see the guilt etched on his face. He always watched re-runs of Secherspack in the evenings in an attempt to unwind, so him not watching the show was very rare and odd.

  
“I’d seen it before.” He answered with a shrug and then began to eat his breakfast. “It was the one with the cat in again.” He said lazily and I nodded, dipping my spoon into my breakfast and beginning to eat it. “Spoke to Charles for a bit and then went to sleep.” He said carelessly and I nodded slowly. “Did you sleep well?” He asked and I shook my head.

  
“You kept me awake.” I informed him and he raised his eyebrows, frowning. “All that, you know, talking.” I mumbled and then had another spoonful. “But I'm glad you had a nice time speaking to him.” I said and he smiled, then having a sip of his tea. “How did he get that bruise on his neck?” I questioned and he flushed pink.

  
“Uh.” He placed his mug down and scratched the back of his head. “Something on set I think.” I raised an eyebrow and then nodded slowly. “I didn't notice it.” I could tell that he was feeling embarrassed now, but there was no way I was going to hold back.

  
“Right. I see. Odd place to get a bruise isn't it, Papa? Right on the trachea.” He shrugged and then drummed his fingers on the table. “Prime place for hickeys, you know. Coincidence, of course.” He nodded slowly and swallowed another piece of pancake.

  
“Natürlich.” He shrugged and then finished off his breakfast, the blush still on his cheeks. “Feeling confident about your exam?” He asked me as he stood up to go and wash up his plate.

  
“Not really.” I said, finishing my breakfast. “Mainly because I would much rather spend my day with you.” He looked over his shoulder at me and then leant against the worktop, wiping his hands with the tea towel.

  
“Liebling, is everything okay?” He asked me and I shrugged. “I apologise that Charles and I kept you awake last night but… that’s not it, is it?” He said slowly, then coming over and sitting opposite me again. “Is there something wrong at school?” He asked and I looked down to my breakfast, having another spoonful. “Oh Liebling…” He said softly and then reached over to stroke my arm. “Was ist falsch?” I placed my spoon back down and looked at him, his sad eyes begging to tell me what was wrong.

  
“There’s a girl in my form, Chloe. Every morning she makes comments, about you, about what I’m wearing, about where I’ve been… It’s just hacking me off now, you know? She got into a fight yesterday and got into no trouble what so ever.” I said and he sighed, taking my hand in his. “I know it’s just jealousy but it makes me feel so crap, you know?” I said and he stood, coming over to me and wrapping me in his arms. I buried my face into his collar and then shut my eyes, trying not to get too emotional. It would only ruin my mood for later on in the day when I had my exam.

  
“I’m going to speak to Miss Stevens, alright? Get her to sort something out.” I nodded and then pulled away slowly, looking up at him and allowing him to gently stroke my hair and then kiss my forehead. He pressed his lips to my forehead and then allowed me to finish my breakfast, the upset clear on his face.

  
“What really happened last night, Papa?” I asked him as I finished my breakfast, my father still pacing up and down the kitchen. I made my way to the sink and washed up my bowl. “Because it wasn’t just a chat you had with Charles. You can be open with me, I’m going to have a partner and have sex at some point anyway.” I said to him and he stopped, looking at me and then shrugging.

  
“I know your feelings towards Charles are pretty strong, liebe… I just didn’t want to upset you.” He told me with a shrug as I placed my bowl on the draining board. “And I’m not gay, either.” He said firmly and I nodded slowly. “Bisexual, pansexual… I don’t know. Charlessexual for goodness sake.” He said and we both laughed. “But no matter what, I still love you just the same, no matter if I date Charles or not. Hell, I don’t even know if we’re going to pass the sex stage.” He said and then leant against the counter.

  
“You sound like the girls I go to school with.” I informed him and he laughed, cheeks flushing pink. “And not in a good way. Papa, I really don’t care who you’re shagging so long as you’re still here to give me Kuscheln when I’m sad.” I told him and he smiled, hugging me from behind and resting his chin on the top of my head.

  
“Oh darling, I will always give you kuscheln, even when I’m ninety and in a wheelchair.” He said, kissing the back of my head and then pulling away so he could wash up my bowl as I went to get my stuff ready.

  
\---

  
Nina and I drove to school like it was any other normal day. But there was so much anger balled up in my stomach at the thought of someone bullying my little girl, and so much disappointment that I hadn’t noticed it sooner. But Nina still seemed to be in high spirits as she sat singing along the David Bowie CD I had put on and was looking out the window. I watched her for a little while, laughing when she didn’t quite hit the high note in Life On Mars. The mood quickly changed when I pulled up outside her school, though. We both got out of the car and I looked around the busy street, smiling at a few of the girls who were looking at me with wide eyes.

  
“Papa.” Nina called as she approached the main door of the grand victorian building. I nodded and followed her, the two of us heading into the grand reception of the school. One of the teachers, Miss Jones, approached me with a smile, her pearly white teeth shining under the bright sunlight that flooded into the room.

  
“Mr Lehnsherr!” She said cheerfully as Nina paused and spun to look at her, the young teacher’s smile immediately falling. “Nina.” She said with a nod and Nina made her way to my side, my arm wrapping around her protectively. “How may I be of assistance?” She asked, eyelashes fluttering.

  
“I’d like to speak to Miss Stevens.” I told her and she nodded, checking her watch and then gesturing for us to follow her, her heels clicking on the marble floor and ponytail flicking side to side. In any other instance, I would have chatted her up and asked her to go for a drink with me, but the image of Charles’ grinning face was still firmly imprinted in my mind. I smiled to myself when I remembered when it was only a matter of hours until I got to see him again, my excitement making me feel like a child at Christmas. I slipped off my sunglasses and followed Nina into her form room where Miss Stevens was already sat, along with everybody else that was a member of her form. There was a quiet intake of breath as I entered, something that I still hadn’t gotten used to. I looked around the room, giving Sacha a quick smile before my eyes settled upon a blonde girl who was sat at the back of her room, twirling her hair around her fingers and whispering to her friends. “Ihr?” I whispered to Nina, nodding towards the girl. Nina nodded and I then locked my jaw and gently rubbed her back. “Sie sieht aus wie ein Tyrann.” I said quietly and she looked up at me, shrugging.

  
“Sie ist der größte Tyrann in der Schule.” She told me and I nodded, then looking to her teacher. She was staring at me with wide eyes and her mouth slightly open, like she was shocked to see me.

  
I often forgot quite how ‘famous’ I was. Times like this, where I was just doing something that any father would do for their daughter, were often the weirdest. Both Nina and I knew that what I was doing was just normal protective father behaviour, but to everybody else it was just David from Prometheus looking after his kid. I did hate that I could do nothing anymore without being stared at, like going to the supermarket or picking up Nina from school. I did love my life, but there was so many elements of it that I hated with a passion.

  
“I would like to speak to you and Chloe.” I told the teacher and she nodded, standing and gesturing for the blonde girl to follow her. We left the room and went into the corridor, Chloe and the teacher both looking up at me like they had no idea what was going on. “You are going to explain to me just why you’ve been bullying my daughter.” I said to Chloe and she looked at me with a frown. “No, don’t you dare look at me like that. Tell me, explain to me what gives you the right.” She sighed sadly and then looked at Nina.

  
“Mr Lehnsherr I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She said with a frown, eyes tracking down to my neck where one of my lovebites from Charles was on display. “Oh.” She said with a soft laugh, then looking over to me. “Nina I think you’ve got the wrong end of the stick here. I have only been giving you advice and asking you simple questions. What your father is accusing me of is simply wrong.” I bawled my fists and Nina looked back at me.

  
“Papa, bitte beruhige dich.” Nina said softly and I looked back at her, my fingers and muscles twitching as I looked back at the blonde girl. “Papa, bitte.” She whispered and I looked back at her, sighing sadly and then stroking her hair gently.

  
“Mr Lehnsherr, I have never witnessed anything that you’re implying… I hate to say it but I think Nina must have taken it the wrong way.” The young teacher said sadly, her arms folded across her chest and eyes gazing over to Chloe who was still looking at the bruise on my collar.

  
“See, Nina. No need to call your Papa in.” Chloe said, flicking her hair over her shoulder. “You’re just overreacting, I’ve never said anything like that. I’ve always been so kind to you.” Her sickly sweet voice was heavily patronising and made my stomach feel sick. “Mr Lehnsherr I am terribly sorry that you have been dragged all this way over a simple misunderstanding.” She said and then offered me a smile. “Perhaps I could do something to make it up to you.” I bawled my fist again and looked down to Nina who was looking back at me, her eyes as cold as mine.

  
“Niemand spricht so mit mir.” I whispered as I guided my fingers up, eyes on the pendent around that was slowly tightening around her neck. “Niemand beschuldigt meine Tochter des Lügens.” I whispered and she began to splutter, hand wrapping around her neck. “Sie sind eine schreckliche Person, und ich bemitleide dich.” I lowered my fingers and looked at Miss Steves who was watching in horror, her mouth covered with her hand whilst Nina stood beside me, body stiff and face blank as she watched what I was doing. “Liebling, viel Glück mit Ihrer Prüfung. Ich liebe dich.” I whispered and kissed her forehead, checking my watch and then pushing past Chloe who was still clutching her throat in horror. I reached the end of the corridor and then looked over my shoulder to Nina who was looking back at me. _Ich liebe dich auch, Papa_ she mouthed as I then stepped through the double doors and back into the reception area which was crammed with girls who were all now staring at me. “I’m sorry, I have somewhere to be.” I said as I pushed through them and to the main door, getting into my car and speeding off, not taking a minute to think about what the hell I had just done.

  
\---

_  
I've just done something stupid. Can you meet me in the car park? EL x_

_  
Of course, my friend. What on earth is the matter? CX x_

  
I looked out of my car window, head resting in my hand and fingers gently massaging my temples as I waited for Charles to show up. I hated myself for what I had just done, for doing it in such an open space where anyone could see, including the multitude of security cameras that would be in the building. But no one would believe me, they would just think it was some amateur dramatics from Chloe and would just brush it off. But I had Nina’s face going round and round in my head, her steel cold expression and tense muscles as she watched the scene unfold, like she was gladly allowing me to hurt her tormenter, or so enchanted by what she was watching that she couldn't tear her eyes away. Neither was good.

  
I rarely used my powers around Nina. If I did, it was only for practical reasons like picking up the television remote or turning the television so the angle was better for me. Never did I ever use my powers to hurt people, but I was so angry at both the girl and myself that I let my guard and defences down and got far too carried away with myself. I was angry that I had let Nina see me like that but I knew that she would eventually. She wasn't my little angel anymore, she was a teenager who was slowly finding more out about the world and herself. I didn't want to wrap her up in cotton wool forever but I was still so terrified of getting her hurt that I did all I could to make sure she was safe. It was all any father would do.

  
The knock at the window made me jump. When I looked up, Charles was stood looking into the car with sad eyes and an equally sad smile. I unlocked the door and he got in, turning to look at me, his eyes studying my face and hand gently reaching over to take my hand.

  
“Oh Erik.” He said softly, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. “Come here.” He whispered and leant over to hug me tightly, my face burrowing into him in the same manner that Nina’s had that morning. It was rare for me to have a comfort like this, to find a person that I could let my guard down in front of. But Charles was slowly becoming this person and even in a matter of days together, I had already revealed more to him than anyone else I had stared alongside. His charm and kindness was irresistible and I knew that it wouldn't take much more for me to follow his exact commands at any given moment. He had this air about him that made me fear him and adore him at the same time; the complete opposite of how others felt towards me. Everyone feared me. In the film industry, I was a difficult, demanding manwhore who cared more about his female co-stars than the film. I hated that label and was desperate to scrap it, even if it did lead to Charles being my scapegoat.

  
I pulled away from the hug and felt my cheeks become damp. I never cried, not even when I was watching a film or my pet died. This must have been the first time I had cried since Nina was born, but even then it was out of joy, not pain. Charles still had his hands on my arms, his long fingers gently rubbing the cold skin on my upper arms to calm me down. I wiped away the small tears and then looked out the windscreen, seeing that we were still the only two people about. I looked back at him and leant in to gently kiss him, the feeling reminding me that yesterday wasn't just an incredible dream that I had had the misfortune of waking up from, but was instead reality.

  
His lips felt as good as they had yesterday, too. They were still glistening and so soft, a far cry from mine which were rough and sore thanks to my lack of care for them. His teeth gently dragged on my bottom lip and I had no other option but to moan and try to not pounce on him. He was the first to pull away, our foreheads resting together and eyes sparkling with glee as he grinned at me, his eyes running over my face and hand gently cupping my cheek as he went in for another kiss which was just as slow and comfortable.

  
“Don't worry about what’s happened, Erik.” He said, clearly having read my mind and seen what it was that was troubling me. “At the end of the day, you were the one in the right and they were both wrong, perhaps you went too far but god be with her if she ever does it again.” I laughed and then gave him another kiss, eager to push the conversation away from me and my habits and to something else. “How are you feeling after last night?” Charles asked softly, hand now fiddling with my hair fondly.

  
“I ache.” I told him honestly and he smiled. I had woken up with a pain in my arse that was like nothing I had ever felt before. It reminded me of the pleasure I had been in last night but also made it rather explicit that there was no way in hell I was going to be able to get out of bed without waddling for a bit. And so I did waddle, pacing up and down my bedroom until the pain wore off and I could walk normally again. “What about you?” I asked, watching Charles sit back in the passenger seat, giving me an uncaring shrug.

  
“Indifferent.” He said and then took my hand in his. “Though last night was a totally different experience for me… I’d normally only sext or, you know, have sex. Never done phone sex.” He yawned and then looked at the hickey on my collar. “It was pretty amazing though, Erik. Your moans are something else.” I felt my cheeks warm with embarrassment and then ran my hand over my face. “Oh my friend it is nothing for you to be embarrassed about.” He laughed and I peeked through my fingers to look at him. “Quite the opposite, in fact.” I leant over to give him a quick kiss and then checked my watch, seeing that it was almost half past nine and we were very late for our first filming session of the day.

  
“We should go.” I said to him and he looked at his watch, nodding in agreement. We both got out of the car and made our way over to one of the carts, getting on and Charles driving us to the studio. I quietly admired the way his face screwed in concentration as he drove, sweat glistening on the high points of his face and lips pink and plump. His biceps were bulging through the sleeves of his dress shirt and his thin fingers were wrapped around the steering wheel with a little bit too much force. I tore my eyes from him and looked back to where we were going, people walking past us carrying brightly coloured smoothies and clipboards as they made their ways to their first meetings of the morning.

  
“Matthew knows that something’s up, so don’t worry about us being late. He’ll understand.” Charles told me as we turned a corner and trundled towards our studio which was in the distance. “I hope you don’t mind me telling him but he, we,were beginning to wonder where on Earth you’d gotten to.” He told me and I shrugged, looking back at him.

  
“If he was wondering then it’s fine. He is the director after all.” I told him and he nodded, head turning to look at me. He leant over and took my hand in his, then looking back to where we were going and whistling to himself merrily. “You’re always very happy, Charles. It’s terribly inspirational.” I told him and he laughed, smiling to himself and then gazing back over to me.

  
“Well, I do like to think that my happiness rubs off on others. Though I’m not sure about you, Mr Grumpy.” He told me and I rolled my eyes then leaning over to give him a quick peck to the cheek. “I’ll try my best.” He chuckled.

\---

_Charles and Erik laid on the bed in only their underclothes, Erik was crying and Charles was trying to comfort him by gently stroking his hair and his arm. Charles wondered just what had gotten into his long-term friend that would leave him begging for sex one minute and the next crying over how much he hated himself. Erik had changed, he was no longer the happy, carefree Frat boy that Charles had known, he had become this empty shell that only cried and was miserable. Charles wanted to protect his friend, to find out just what had happened to him and try to heal him._

_  
“Michael, if you don’t tell me what’s happened then there is nothing that I can do to help you. I can try my hardest to make you happy but without knowing what has happened or what you have done, everything I do will just be pointless.” Erik looked up at him and reached out to gently stroke his cheek, shaking his head. “No matter what it is, Michael. I’ll be here to help you, heal you.” The Irishman smiled at his counterpart and then tore his hand away._

_  
“My daughter, my son, my wife.” He said slowly, his hands gently trembling as he spoke. Charles took them in his to try and steady him. “They’ve been taken from me.” He whispered and the Scot looked at him confusedly. “Kidnapped, stolen, snatched… They’re gone, James.” He said and then wiped his face with his hands. “And it’s my fault.”_

\---

“Charles, the chemistry between you and Erik is incredible. I’m so glad that we managed to get him as a stand in, aren’t you?” Daniel said as we came off set, he and Ben, one of the other actors, stood by the cameras after having watched the scene. “Massive fan of your work, Erik.” He told me, then reaching out to shake my hand. I was yet to talk to any of my co-stars but Charles due to the amount of filming I had done yesterday. The only real break I got was when Nina and Sacha had dropped by and I had taken them back to my trailer. It was nice to finally get to talk to Daniel and Ben, the little glimpses that I had gotten of their scenes were brilliant and the chemistry between them was exceptional. I gave Ben a smile and he returned one sheepishly, then looking back down at his shoes.

  
“Oh and you, Dan. Your scene with Ben yesterday was amazing.” He said and the younger man blushed whilst Daniel smiled at Charles, shaking his hand. “We must go for a drink at some time, the four of us.” Charles insisted as Dan nodded and smiled at us.

  
“Oh that would be lovely.” The elder man said and the younger nodded, looking back up at Charles and I.

  
“I would have to ask Mark.” He said quietly. “My husband.” He said, voice shy and timid, like we were going to kick him from the film just because he had a husband. I offered him a smile and looked at Charles who was already looking up at me with a gentle smile.

  
“He could always come?” I suggested and his eyes lit up, a small smile appearing on his face. “If you want him to, that is.” I added and he nodded enthusiastically.  
“Oh I’m sure he would like to.” He said with a grin. “I’m Ben, by the way.” He said, offering me his hand which I shook, Charles doing the same. “Big fan of your work, Mr Xavier. You were amazing in Atonement. Mark and I watch it a lot.” He said and Charles smiled proudly.

  
“Please, call me Charles. And thank you, it’s a great film.” He said, Matthew then approaching us. He patted Charles and I on the back and then slipped in between us.

  
“Sorry to interrupt lads but Dan and Ben, you both have to go get your makeup done.” He said. “And Charles, Erik, can I talk to you both for a moment?” He asked and we nodded, saying goodbye to our co-stars who walked off. I turned to look at Matthew who was looking between Charles and I. “That scene you have just filmed was incredible,” Matthew paused to clear his throat. “But we need to do it again, makeup hadn’t noticed the, uh.” He paused and then looked down to my hip. “Marks.” Charles immediately flushed and I could feel my cheeks heating up too. “Seems you’ve both been getting slightly too in character.” He said with a laugh and I swallowed nervously, then looking at Charles who was already looking back at me.

  
“Something like that.” I grumbled, looking back at our director as he smiled and patted us both on the shoulder, then turning to walk off. Charles immediately burst into a fit of laughter and rested his head on my bicep, my arm wrapping around his waist as I too began to laugh. I didn’t even know what was funny. But our laughing was stopped when Joshua came over to me, his face sweating and chest rapidly rising and falling. He had been running and that was never a good sign.

  
“Mr Lehnsherr.” He said between pants, slightly hunched over as he tried to catch his breath. “You- Nina-” I immediately felt my heart sink. “She’s hurt.” He trusted my phone into my hands and I could already feel the panicked pain in my chest and the dread flood my body like a tidal wave. “Very hurt.”

  
\---

  
“You’re going to pay for this, Lehsnerr!” Chloe shrieked once we were back in our form room. I stood leant against the wall whilst she investigated the neat red mark on her neck with her compact mirror. She stood, chair clattering as she did, and charged over to me, Sacha diving to intervene but I gave her a look.

  
“Let her come.” I said as Sacha slowly backed away and Chloe stood nose to nose with me, her eyes glossy with tears and jaw locked with anger. She gave me a hard slap and I could already feel my cheek beginning to throb. She gave me a hard kick to the gut and I was soon on my knees, my vision not breaking from in front of me. I could hear her yelling at me but my head was spinning and only focusing on the pain that there now was in my stomach. I blinked slowly and then looked up at her, my lip bleeding and her eyes wide with a combination of fear and anger. I could taste blood. She stood with her foot flat against my chest, heel pressed right against my heart and the wire of my bra digging in. She gave me one last kick and I bowed my head, letting out a soft grunt of pain as she then walked away, leaving me on my knees. I spat onto the carpet and looked at the bloody stain I had just caused, and then to the room around me. My classmates were stood around me in a crescent and Sacha was crying, her hands fumbling around for her phone. I blinked again and then looked around again, everybody frozen in their place as they watched me slowly stand, my legs shaking and hands anxiously rubbing up and down my sides.

  
Chloe was sat back in her corner, friends sat beside her but all looking equally horrified as their ringleader spoke to somebody on the phone, eyes running over her nails. I kept my eyes on her and then wiped my mouth on the back of my hand, sitting down on the table and one of the other girls, Lucy, nervously handing me a bottle of water. I took a sip and swallowed it slowly, throat burning and chest aching so profoundly that I was sure I was going to pass out at any moment. I took another sip of water and then handed the bottle back to the short girl, giving her a little nod to say thank you.

  
“Miss Lehnsherr, what do you think you’re playing at?” Miss Stevens asked me as she pushed past the other girls to stand in front of me, eyes cold and face expressionless. “You shouldn’t have provoked Miss Murdoch like that.” She said and then shook her head. “I shall have to phone your father and there is no way I am allowing you to sit your exam today. You’re in a lot of trouble, miss.” She said and I nodded obediently, knowing that saying something would only make it worse. There was a security camera in the corner of the room that everyone appeared to have forgotten about. But even if that wasn’t enough, there was witnesses.

  
“Are you okay?” Sacha asked me as she came round in front of me and taking my hands in hers. “God, you’re as white as a sheet.” She said and I looked at her, her hands trembling as they held me and eyes filled with tears. “I’m taking you home.” She said and then wrapped her arm around my waist, helping me to stand up as I fell limp in her grip, my arm flopping around her shoulders as she carried me out of the room and eventually down to reception. She sat me down on the sofa and went over to the reception desk, my stomach churning and head beginning to throb. I looked around me and then grabbed the bin that was beside the sofa, then throwing up to it, Sacha and one of the office women running over to immediately, Sacha pinning my hair back and the woman gently rubbing my back as I gripped the bin, my knuckles turning white.

  
“I want papa.” I whispered and then placed the bin down, flopping back onto the sofa and feeling my eyes tear up as I crashed back to reality, the pain finally settling in and the realisation of what the hell had just happened to me. I began to sob, my hands reaching to cover my face as I cried, Sacha wrapping her arms around me and the older lady going off to phone either papa or a taxi to take me home. As much as I wanted, needed, papa there, I was dreading his reaction to the situation. He would immediately blame himself and there would be nothing that I could do to convince him otherwise. Admittedly, in this situation, it probably was his fault as he was the one that hurt Chloe, but I wasn’t going to let him know that or feel like that. He had already had enough on his plate for the last few months, another dip in his mood was the last thing that he wanted.

  
“Your father is on his way, Nina. I’ve just spoken to his assistant.” She said and I nodded, sniffling and then pulling back to look up at Sacha who was looking at me with sad eyes, her lips frowning in a way that was so real and heartbreaking that it made my chest ache. I knew that it was my fault that she was frowning and I hated knowing that; I hated hurting anybody, even if it was unintentional. “Dr Clements has recommended that you go straight to bed and have some painkillers. If the pain persists then go to the doctors. We can get your exam rescheduled for when you’re better.” She then told me and I nodded, thanking her quietly and then curling up in the sofa, Sacha standing in front of me protectively as we waited for papa to arrive, my hands fumbling through my bag which Sacha had managed to grab on our way out, in a desperate search for painkillers.

  
\---

  
Charles had offered to come with me, Matthew having stopped filming for the time being whilst we tried to work out what the hell had happened. I sat in the passenger seat of Charles’ Aventador, the car racing down the M25 at over 100mph. Charles had a hand rested on my thigh and the other on the steering wheel, his eyes never moving from the oddly quiet motorway in front of him. I was thankful that he had decided to not drive his bike to work as there was no way I was in the right condition to be grabbing on to him for dear life. But even in his far too expensive sportscar I felt terrified. Joshua only knew that Nina was badly hurt but still at school. I was fearing the worse, fearing that my stupid actions had had terrible consequences that I would be feeling for a long time. I tried to not think about Nina and instead tried to focus on the radio, Muse blasting through the car and Charles’ head bobbing along to the heavy guitar sounds.

  
“Please try and calm yourself, Erik. I am sure that Nina is fine. She’s still at school, remember. If she was in a terrible condition then she would be in hospital.” Charles said to me, his voice instantly soothing me. I looked over to him from out of the window, his eyes flicking over to me and then back to the road as he slowed, our junction only a matter of moments away. “She's a tough cookie.” He said and I nodded slowly, then looking back out of the windshield.

  
I prayed that he was right and we would turn up, load Nina into the car and then take her home. There was no way I was going back to set, though; there was plenty of filming that could be done without me and the last thing I wanted was to delay the filming and piss everybody off. I was already so pissed off at myself that pissing off more people would just be the end of the world. Charles could obviously see that was therefore trying to keep up his cheerful persona, showing me the best in even the worst of situations. I reminded myself to buy him a bouquet of flowers to say thank you for taking me to pick Nina up.

  
As we reached the school I was almost calm. I got out of the car and made my way inside, heart smashing the second I saw Nina curled up on the sofa, fast asleep. She looked like she had when I had gotten back to my trailer the night before, her face soft and at peace. Only this time, her lip was split and there was dried blood on her chin. I immediately went to her, ignoring the woman who was trying to speak to me. I knelt down and gently touched Nina’s thigh, her eyes immediately opening and a smile forming on her face.

  
“Papa.” She whispered and I leant forward to gently kiss her forehead, her eyes fluttering shut again in contentment. I stood and looked at the elderly woman who was looking back up at me.

  
“Your daughter was involved in a fight with Chloe Murdoch… We suggest you take her to the doctors if she doesn't feel any better in two or three hours. She's taken some painkillers and had a sleep so she should feel a little bit better than she did earlier. We have rescheduled her exam for Friday, permitting that she is better by then.” She told me and I nodded. “Also, Miss Murdoch’s lawyer is wanting to contact yours immediately.” She said awkwardly, handing me a little piece of cardboard. I shook my head and then looked back to Nina who was now looking back at me, her eyes then flicking over to the door when there was the clicking of shoes against the marble floor. I looked over my shoulder and to Charles who had just entered, giving him a small smile as he then went to Nina’s side, softly talking to her.

  
“I'll speak to them when I have the chance. I'm filming at the moment and of course Nina is now my number one priority. Do you know what happened between my daughter and the other girl?” I asked the woman and she shook her head.

  
“There will be an investigation.” She said and I nodded. “Please let us know how Nina is in the morning.” She said and I gave her a smile before going back to Nina and Charles.

  
We managed to get Nina back on her feet, both mine and Charles’ arms wrapped around her waist in an attempt to support her. She had her arms around both of our shoulders and we slowly took her outside, placing her in the backseats of the car. I slid in beside her, her head resting on my shoulder and hand in mine as she mumbled and grunted to herself, yet to form a proper sentence. Charles was looking at us in the mirror, his blue eyes clouded with sadness as he drove us home.

  
\---

  
“I am more than happy to stay with you if you want me to.” Charles said after we had settled Nina down on the sofa. She was looking at me hopefully, like she wanted me to accept Charles’ offer. “Without you on set there's nothing I can do anyway.” He told me, his hand taking mine. “And I know you could do with the company, Erik. The last thing you need is to be on your own when Nina is like this.” He gestured to Nina who was already asleep, chest calmly raising and falling. “Let me help you.” He said and I sighed, looking back at him and then nodding. He leant up and gently kissed me, his lips filling me with the warmth and security that I needed.

  
We settled down on the sofa beside Nina, her head resting on my shoulder and body tucked into my side. She was quietly snoring and would occasionally let out a little gurgle, reminding me of when she was a baby and would have a nap after feeding. Charles was on my other side, my arm wrapped around his shoulder and his eyes fixed on the television where an old episode of Midsomer Murders that I had put on. His hand would squeeze my thigh occasionally, his fingers running along the material nonchalantly as he watched he programme, occasionally gasping or squeaking when there was a particularly ‘frightening’ moment. I watched him for a little while, his mind clearly on nothing but the storyline of the episode. I looked back to Nina who was now awake, her tired eyes on the programme and body squishing closer to mine.

  
“Ich liebe dich, Papa.” She whispered to me and I smiled down at her, her eyes looking up to meet mine.

  
“Ich liebe dich auch, Liebling.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> References:  
> 1\. Secherpack is a German comedy show  
> 2\. Ben Whishaw and Daniel Craig both appeared in Layer Cake together, which was directed by Matthew Vaughn  
> 3\. Ben Whishaw is married to Mark Bradshaw  
> 4\. Rupert Murdoch, Chloe'a grandfather (not in real life), is the owner of The Sun  
> 5\. James's friend John Hopkins plays DS Scott in Midsomer Murders  
> 6\. Chapter title translates as 'Love and Hate'
> 
> Translations:  
> Schlaf gut, Papa - Sleep well, dad.  
> Oh sheiße - Oh shit  
> meine Geliebte - my beloved  
> Natürlich - naturally  
> Kuscheln - cuddles  
> Ihr? - Her?  
> Sie sieht aus wie ein Tyrann. - she looks like a bully  
> Sie ist der größte Tyrann in der Schule - she is the biggest bully in the school  
> Papa, bitte beruhige dich - Dad, please calm down  
> Papa, bitte - Dad, please  
> Niemand spricht so mit mir. - Nobody talks to me like that  
> Niemand beschuldigt meine Tochter des Lügens - Nobody accuses my daughter of lying  
> Sie sind eine schreckliche Person, und ich bemitleide dich. - You are a terrible person and I pity you  
> Liebling, viel Glück mit Ihrer Prüfung. Ich liebe dich - Darling, good luck with your exam. I love you.  
> Ich liebe dich auch, Papa - I love you too, dad


	3. Holding You, Loving You

“How’re you doing?” I was immediately met by Matthew when I arrived on set, his face hopeful. I gave him a sad smile and a little shrug, Charles then catching up with me, his hand on my shoulder.

“Not too bad, Nina is staying with my parents at the moment. I didn't want to miss any more filming.” I told him and he clapped me on the back, smiling. “She’s getting better.” Charles took my hand in his and gave it a little squeeze.

I had taken a week off to look after Nina who, even after getting treated at the hospital, was no better. She had stopped coughing up blood by the time I had taken her up to Leeds, but she was still pretty ill. It was her idea for her to go up to stay with my parents in the first place and she was able to take her exams in one of the schools up there. At the end of the day, it meant that I could come home without worrying about her and she could have constant care if she needed it.

I was eager to get back to work. It acted as a good distraction for everything that was happening in my private life and still meant that I got to spend most of my time with Charles who had been coming over after filming sessions every day. I was glad to have him around and to have some relief from my duties for looking after Nina. The pair had very quickly become best friends and Nina would always look forward to Charles’ visits. Secretly, I also looked forward to them because it meant we could spend some time together, just talking and cuddling. Nina was asleep most of the time, the effort it took to speak to Charles and have her dinner always making her exhausted.

“Well, I’m glad to hear it, Erik. We’ve been so worried about you both.” He told me and I nodded, smiling at him and quietly thanking him. “Now, we need to reshoot that scene from last week. And then some of the group scenes.” He told me, handing me the day’s run through schedule. I read it over and then looked at Charles who was on the phone to his assistant, Raven. I was yet to meet Charles’ beloved Raven but I could already tell I wasn’t going to like her. Charles had told me a story about the time they were in Paris together and I instantly began to feel jealous, jealous that it wasn't me visiting the Eiffel Tower with him or that we hadn’t had dinner in Epicure. I noted that we were to go to Paris after filming had finished, either as friends or as partners.

I looked down at Charles to find him staring back at me. He took my hand in his and squeezed it gently, clearly having read what I'd been thinking about. He gave me a smile and I looked back to Matthew.

“This looks fine. I'll go see Georgia and get my ugly mug tidied up.” I told him before Charles and I made our way through to the dressing room where Ben was sat having his hair dried. He looked at us in the mirror and gave me a wave. “Morning,” I said to him and then looked over to Georgia who was in the middle of organising her makeup brushes.

“You don't have an ugly mug,” Charles informed me as I sat down in the chair and Georgia set to work, trying to conceal the dark circles that had appeared under my eyes. “You have a very lovely mug.” He said, perching on the chair that was beside mine and watching as Georgia blended in the thick concealer.

“You two are adorable. You know, Erik, Charles did not stop banging on about you last week. We're glad to have you back just so he’ll stop.” Georgia informed me as she started to brush powder under my eyes. “How’s Nina?” She asked and I looked over to Charles who was blushing bright pink, his eyebrows furrowed with embarrassment and hair flopping over his face from where he hadn’t had it gelled yet.

“Well that’s good to know,” I told her with a laugh, then picking up the cup of coffee one of the runners, Alex, had brought me. “She’s not too bad. Getting there slowly.” I said and she gave me a happy smile, rubbing some lip balm into my lips and then double checking that I had no other marks that needed covering. Thankfully, all of my love bites had healed up and were now little, discoloured marks that were hardly noticeable. Charles was just the same, each of his little purple marks now faded. We had made a promise that as soon as the semi-naked filming was over and done with, we would see who could collect the most hickeys. “We finished?” I asked and the ginger girl nodded, placing her brushes back in her belt.

\---

“So,” Charles sat down on my lap, his fingers reaching up to play with my hair. “I was thinking that after such a terrible week, you could do with a fun night out.” He was optimistically beaming at me, his eyes bright with enthusiasm. “So, tonight we’re going to a film premiere together, then we’re going to Claude’s Kitchen for dinner and then are spending the rest of our night at Radio.” He told me with an almost smug smile, like he was proud he had managed to keep it all a secret. I went to open my mouth to talk but his finger was soon pressed against my lips. “We’re going, like it or not, Lehnsherr.” He whispered and then pressed his lips to mine, making me purr happily.

“Yes sir.” I answered obediently, wrapping my arms around his waist as I looked over to Dan and Ben who were in the middle filming a very heated scene that involved Ben being pinned to a wall by Ben. “What film we seeing?” I asked, looking back up at him. Charles’ hair was wet and was sticking to the side of his face thanks to a particularly graphic scene he had filmed in a shower only a few minutes before. It involved a lot of fake blood, some of which was still dotted over his face. I rubbed it away with the bad of my thumb and then smiled at him in satisfaction.

“Jason Bourne.” He answered with a smile and I groaned, rolling my eyes. “And I know, I know.” He said, chuckling to himself. “Whilst I appreciate your ‘ex-girlfriend’ is in it, Raven said it’ll be good promo for us, and for the film.” He told me and I gave him a glare. “Oh, Erik.” He said, drawing my name out in a name that I would have found annoying if it was said by anyone else. “It’ll be a laugh, come on.” He said hopefully. I looked at him for a little while, lips pressed together in annoyance. I had spent a long time trying to distance myself from Heather so for me to go to the premier of her new film would just put me back to square one. After filming with her in New Zealand for far too long, the press had quickly leapt to conclusions about the two of us and we had apparently been dating for three months, even though I couldn’t stand the sight of her most of the time. It hadn’t helped that she had been bigging me up in all of her interviews, only fueling the rumours.

“But I’m your date, alright? And don’t let me near her because I will end up hitting her.” I mumbled and nodded, smiling at me.

“Oh, Erik. We’ll just do the carpet and then go get dinner; I hate those films.” He said with a chuckle and I grinned at him, then giving him a quick kiss and moving him from my lap, the two of us standing again as we were called to set to begin filming.

I was looking forward to my evening out with Charles, for us to finally go on a proper date together rather than just sexting or awkwardly trying to cuddle whilst Nina watched. For us to be able to be ourselves in the public eye was nice, but I knew that it would only fuel the rumours about Heather and I, the press presumably going to be oblivious to Charles and I arriving and leaving together. Seeing as neither of us were out to the public, it would just look like two co-stars on the red carpet rather than two lovers. I hesitated to use that term around Charles, but it was what we were up to a point. We hadn’t really spoken about the prospect of properly dating and were only just crossing the friends-with-benefits line. I didn’t really mind and the less a chance of being outed by The Sun there was, the better.

\---

“Well, it’s safe to say I haven’t missed this,” I told Charles, the pair of us looking out of the window of our car. All around us was photographers and screaming fans, the press kept away from everyone else in a little cordoned off bit of the red carpet like they were animals who would immediately jump on whatever celebrities that came by if they had the chance. But really, there was nothing metaphorical about that, they would and I knew that from a lot of personal experience. Charles was just the same and was already muttering something about the ‘fucking paps’.

I got out the car first, the fans screaming and yelling my name the second I emerged. The cameras were on us, everybody expecting Heather to emerge from the car after me, not Charles. I shut the door behind him and then gently rested my hand on his lower back, the pair of us walking along the carpet and to the photographers who were all yelling at us to look at them. I ensured that I never let my hand move from Charles’ back as we posed for the photos, my companion already getting pretty riled up when the photographer started shouting questions about Heather to me. I just ignore them and looked down at Charles, moving my hand from his back and instead to his waist. _If you don’t hold me back I might pounce on that shitty reporter from The Star._ I laughed at Charles’ words in my head and then shook my head, instinctively pressing my lips to his temple as we walked away from the photographers who were already over us and instead taking photos of Rita Ora who had just turned up.

Charles had calmed down by the time we had spoken to a few fans and signed some autographs and was now smiling and laughing along to what one of the older girls was saying. I stood beside him, listening too whilst signing an autograph for a little boy who was there with his mother who I knew was trying to flirt with me. I just replied to her comments with a little nod and an awkward smile, then going back to the story that the girl was telling about when she was in Glasgow and happened to bump into one of Charles’ childhood friends. We were dragged away by Charles’ fill in PR, Louise, just after she had finished the story and, thankfully, Charles was able to give her a quick hug and have a photo.

“Hi boys, it’s good to see you.” Our first interviewer was an odd looking American man who worked for E! Online. “Erik it’s so good to see you here, supporting Heather.” He added and I laughed, Charles giving me a small frown.

“Yes, well, it was actually Charles idea to come,” I said and the interviewer, Blake, raised an eyebrow and then looked to me and then Charles. “I mean, it’s good to see Heather in a film like this, it’s pretty different to her normal films.” I added and the interviewer nodded.

“Yeah, it is! So you are starring alongside her in The Light Between Oceans, how was that?” He asked and I looked to Charles, seeing the annoyance on his face as he leant closer to me, his eyes on a few of the people who had just turned up, including Matt Damon who Charles seemed to be staring at intensely.

“Yeah, it was nice to be filming in a different country for once, but I do always like coming home. Charles and I are filming at Pinewood at the moment which is always a lot of fun.” I told the man and then gently rubbed my companion’s back, making him look up at me and then to the interviewer who was nodding. He thanked us for stopping and we then moved away, going along the line and stopping by an interviewer for Attitude magazine who was calling out to Charles. The interviewer was, in my eyes, one of the most attractive men I had ever set my eyes on. I gave him a smile as they got the microphone and camera switched on.

“Charles, Erik! How are you guys doing, it’s great to see you here.” He said and we both greeted him. “So you two are working on a new-age revamp of The Boys In The Band, how have you been finding it? Neither of you have ever played homosexual characters before, I expect it’s a lot of fun, new experience?” He said and we both nodded.

“It is, I’m playing our version of Michael so I am a fully gay man which is pretty odd for me, but I’ve really enjoyed it and the team we have around us is amazing. I’m getting to work with Matthew Vaughn again who has been an amazing director and writer and it’s been great to work with Erik.” He said and I smiled at him.

“Yeah, I mean playing our version of Alan has been a great experience and it’s really opened my eyes.” I said, feeling James’ fingers brush against mine. I shuddered at the gentle touch and then smiled at him. “And of course working with Charles has been a real pleasure,” I added and the interviewer awed as Charles smiled back at me.

“It’s clear to see that you two really get along and Erik, from all of us at Attitude, we really hope that Nina gets well soon.” He said and I thanked him with a handshake, Louise then stepping in so that she could lead us into the cinema. My mind hadn’t really been on Nina at all throughout the day, I had been busying myself with work on set and didn’t allow myself to be idle for long enough to think about her. I knew that she would be okay with her grandparents and that they would be keeping good care of her, although I did remind myself to make sure I phoned her in the morning.

“Your taxi is waiting for you around the back, Mr Xavier.” Louise said to us once we had finished the glass of wine we had been given on the way in. I took Charles’ hand and then started to follow Louise through the crowd of people, stopping when I saw Heather making her way over to me. Charles stopped too and looked over to where I was looking and then tugged me around to face him.

“Just kiss me.” He said and I looked at him, raising my eyebrows at his comment. He frowned, tilted his head and then nodded over to Heather who was now calling my name. Oh, so this was Charles’ big plan. For us to kiss in front of Heather and almost a hundred other ‘celebrities.’ It seemed like a big ask for me to out myself just like that, but I did it anyway, quickly moving my head forward so that mine and Charles’ lips connected. We kissed for a few seconds and I then pulled away, looking over at Heather who was now stood still, staring at us both with wide eyes. My eyes then drifted to the other people in the room to find most of them turning to look at Charles and I, our fingers still intertwined.

“Did she say our cab was here?” I asked, Charles nodding in reply. “Good.” I muttered and we quickly went after Louise, my mind still thinking over what the hell has just happened. We had been seeing each other for four weeks max and now, the whole world knew that we were together. We made our way out the back entrance and into our cab without being spotted and I finally realised what the hell had just happened. I turned to look at Charles who was looking back at me with a smile. “Did we really just do that?” I asked him and he nodding, giving my hand a squeeze as I did up my seatbelt and the taxi began to drive.

“My friend, I do believe we did.” He said with a laugh and I nodded slowly, looking out the window and feeling my head cloud with thoughts about just how the hell the press were going to react. It wouldn’t be something kept to the people in that room and them alone, it would get to the papers very quickly. So much for us not being on the front cover of The Sun the next day. There was a motorbike now following us and I assumed it was a pap, just trying to get a decent photo for Dan Wootton to use when he exposed Charles and I the next day. “Erik, please don’t fret.” Charles said to me, knocking me out of my thoughts and making me look at him, his sad eyes and little pout making my heart ache. I looked at him and then leant over to kiss his pink lips and make his pout go away, then pulling away and giving him a small smile.

“The fretting stops now, I promise.” I told him and he nodded, then giving me another kiss and resting his head on my shoulder. “Let’s forget about all that shit and just enjoy our night, yeah?” I said and he nodded, looking up at me with a grin before kissing my jaw and getting out his phone, logging on to Twitter. “Do you really have to do that?” I asked and he nodded, then going onto his mentions and scrolling through what some people had been tweeting him. I watched with a chuckle as he replied to some tweets with something vaguely witty, one fan asking him to recreate a photo of him and I that had been done by a fan. Before I knew it, he had switched around to his camera and had taken a photo of us and had replied to the fan with it. “Can you stop doing that, please?” I questioned and he turned to look at me, then giving me a quick peck.

“Rightyho.” He told him and then went back to scrolling. I continued to watch him, chuckling when he showed me a few photos and he then went over to Instagram, saving one of the photos of him and I that had been taken on the red carpet. “Would you mind if I put that onto Instagram?” He asked me. I shook my head and watched him upload the photo of us, then chuckling at the caption.

  


“You’re an idiot, you know that?” I told him and he shrugged, the taxi then coming to a stop outside the restaurant Charles had booked for us. “But does this mean I’m your boyfriend?” I asked him and he shrugged, turning to look over his shoulder at me.

“Of course it does.” He said and then gave me another before we got out of the cab and I paid the driver, watching it drive off as we then made our way into the restaurant, the photographer taking a few photos just as the door shut behind us and Charles ruffled his hair, the rain making it slightly curlier than normal. He looked adorable.

“Good evening sirs.” The waitress said as she came over to us, her faux-smile instantly turning into a grin when she properly set her eyes on us. “Ah, Mr Xavier your table is just this way.” She said and then gestured for us to follow her, then leading through the restaurant and to a table in front of the large lit fireplace. “If you need any help, please give me a shout. My name is Alisha.” She said and we thanked her, then sitting down and picking up the menus that were on our placemats. I gazed at it for a little while, deciding to order a gin and tonic, and then looked around the restaurant. It was rustic and looked more like it should be in Cornwall or Devon rather than central London, but it was nice and ever so relaxing to be in. The fire was also a lovely feature and the flames were already warming me back up again after our little stint outside in the rain and wind. As much as he loved London and the UK, the weather was always terrible. But then, it was never very good back home either. At least it was consistent and never rained in the middle of the summer back in Germany.

“I mean to say, you look lovely in your suit.” Charles said to me after a few minutes of silence. “Grey really suits you.” He added and I gave him a smile, reaching across to take his hand. His cheeks were tinted pink, though I was unsure as to whether that was thanks to the fire or my small gesture. I too was most probably blushing after his compliment but just passed it off as me being hot.

“Thank you. You look lovely too, your hair looks nice like that.” I told him and he chuckled, giving my hand a gentle squeeze and then looking back to the menu. I sat looking at him for a little while, admiring how the warm light brought out the softness of his features and the beauty of his bright eyes. All in all, he was truly beautiful. His skin was milky and so soft, his voice calming and gentle and his body and face just as wonderful. I wouldn’t hesitate to see that I was falling in love at that point.

\---

“That meal was amazing.” I huffed as we left the restaurant and then went back into the night air, the rain having passed and the sky now clear and the air hot and thick. I was glad, especially as we were now off to a rooftop bar. Erik nodded in agreement as he followed me out of the restaurant and we made our way down to the road, to my surprise a few photographers sat on the steps of the restaurant. We remained quiet, fingers intertwined, and then passed them with only a few flashes going off in our face. “Nice for them to be so civil for once.” I said to Erik as we continued to make our way down the quiet street.

“It is, though it’s probably too late for their information to be worming its way into tomorrow’s papers, we’ll be hounded tomorrow.” He told me and I nodded slowly, then looking up to Erik and sighing.

“My friend, are you sure that everything is okay?” I asked him, noticing how distant and quiet Erik had become throughout the night. We had spent the early part of our meal talking but he had slowly become quieter and quieter, something that was not normal when it came to my companion. I was worried that our kiss had made him have second thoughts about our evening but I knew that it would be good for him, get Heather to back off. All Erik had been doing for the last few days was complaining about her and the pathetic rumours that the pair of them had been. Erik had assumed that Heather had sold the stories to the papers under a fake name because apparently ‘she was like that’, though I just went with it even though I assumed he was probably wrong.

“I’m fine, Charles.” He told me as we reached the end of the street and I flagged down a cab, Erik and I getting into it. “Radio Bar, please.” Erik told the driver as I shut the door behind us and then let go of Erik’s hand so that I could do up my seatbelt. “I promise.” He added and then took my hand again, giving the back of it a gentle kiss. I gave him a smile and then looked out the window of the cab as we drove towards Covent Garden, Erik’s hand still tightly holding mine.

We reached the bar after a little while, the two of us in a comfortable silence and our fingers intertwined. Erik got out first and held the door open for me again, giving me a smile when I exited the car and then looked at the long queue of people waiting to get into the bar. I turned to look at Erik who was paying the taxi driver and then back to the line who were now looking back at me with wide eyes. I looked at one of the ‘lads’ who was looking back at me and then pressed two fingers to my temple. _Oh my god it’s the guy from the cover of The Mirror. Oh my god that’s his boyfriend, look! They’re those actors!_ He was saying to his female companion, pointing to Erik and then looking back to me. I gave him a quick smile which was returned with a wide grin and Erik then came over to me, taking my hand again.

“I do hope that you’ve got us somewhere cordoned off, otherwise I may suggest we skip this.” He whispered into my ear as we made our way over to the door, the bouncer letting us straight in after looking down at the photo list on his clipboard and then back up to us. We went up to the roof where one of the managers, Huan, was waiting for us. She took us through to the other ‘secret’ side of the roof which was completely abandoned apart from another pair who were sat at the bar and talking, giving each other soft kisses occasionally. “I’ll go get us some fancy cocktails or something. You sit.” He said to me as I went over one of the large chairs and kicked off my loafers, then tucking my feet under me and curling up into the warmth of the large chair. I got my phone from my trouser pocket and looked down at the screen, a few distressed texts from Raven catching my eye but nothing else worth checking. I went onto my Instagram and saved a few more photos of Erik and I, then looking up when he put a big bowl filled with some sort of pink cocktail down on the table, two straws poking out from the top.

“Well, how very quaint.” I said with a chuckle, then leaning forward to have a sip, then raising my eyebrows. “Oh god, that’s good.” I said as I pulled away from my straw, Erik then leaning forward to have a sip. He hummed in agreement and then moved to squish beside me in the large chair, his fingers running through my hair and lips on my temple. “Oh, Erik you great sop.” I said with a laugh as he pulled his lips away and pressed his forehead against mine. “My friend, what on Earth is the matter?” I asked softly, seeing that his eyes were tearful and his smile was drooping. “Come here you silly sod.” I said and then uncurled myself, wrapping my arms around my companion and holding him close. “No, no tears. We’ve had enough tears to turn the Sahara into the Channel this week.” I said and he laughed, pulling his head away and then slowly kissing me properly, his hand cupping the side of my face. I shut my eyes and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

I hated seeing Erik sad, and knowing that there probably wasn’t anything that I could do about it was the worst. I wondered if maybe it was something to do with Nina, after the interviewer had mentioned her, he had become very reclusive and quiet. I was unsure as to what I could do to make things better and instead decided to just stay silent and hold him as he pulled himself together again, all through the occasional little sob or sniffle. I just wanted to make sure that he was okay, that he knew that I was there for him no matter what. Because I was, I had seen him so very sad over the last few weeks that all I now wanted to do was make him smile and cheer him up, get his mind off of Nina and instead onto us and the film and the future. I had tried to assure him that everything would be fine, that Nina would be fine and that all we needed to was be happy and strong but he was having none of it and then blocked me out, only giving me the occasional look when I chuckled at something during one of the programmes we were watching.

“I just want to forget about her and enjoy tonight, alright?” Erik told me, his voice soft as I gently stroked his cheek and brushed away a little tear. The love that he had for Nina was admirable and made me wish that my father and I had had a relationship like that, rather than him running off when I was just a baby. I often thought of him and wondered where he was and what he was doing, but it was all irrelevant at the end of the day. I was happy and he wasn't, end of. “Now let's get plastered.” He said and then sat up, kissing me and then picking up our large bowl of cocktail, bringing it over so that it was resting on our laps. I gave him a grin and then put the straw to my lips, having another sip of the strawberry, vodka and vanilla concoction. I wasn't going to let my mind wander to my father again and instead just ensure that my head was in the moment and focused on Erik and the position that we were in.

And so we did get plastered. By the end of the night, I was laying on the floor by our table trying to fix one of the legs with a straw, some gum and a cocktail umbrella whilst Erik sat in one of the chairs, giggling and trying to help my by informing me that the leg wasn't straight or that the crack in the glass was getting bigger. It was almost three am, an hour after kick out time, and I was trying to fix our mess so that we didn't have to pay a fine. I eventually gave up and returned to Erik’s lap, looking at the completely ruined table and then laughing, the copious amount of alcohol I had consumed making my head buzz and tingle with delight.

I had managed to crack the glass top of the table whilst doing a particularly dramatic rendition of Reach by Steps and Erik had managed to break one of the table legs by kicking it whilst he was trying to show me the dance to Take That’s Pray. In the end, we had decided to just sit down, shut up, and make our way through two more cocktail bowls and a magnum of champagne to celebrate our coming out. It only took three glasses of champagne and half our first cocktail bowl to make Erik’s head go a little fuzzy, whereas it had taken me quite a lot more. I was very surprised that I'd managed to not blind myself with the cocktail stick end of the little umbrella whilst doing my DIY job as my hand-eye coordination has been utterly shocking for the entire attempt.

“I think,” Erik said, standing up and almost falling straight over again, his words slurred and a grin on his face, cheeks flushed pink. “It's about time that we went home.” He said and I flopped back onto the small cushion mountain we had created on our loveseat. “And don't make me carry you because that won't end well.” He added, pointing a finger at me and then steadying himself after his right knee buckled. Reluctantly, I got up from my cushiony abode and took Erik’s hand in mine, the two of us then making our way back into the main hotel complex. Huan was stood by the door, eyes shut and head resting against the wall as she yawned, clearly have stayed up a long time after she had expected too. “Miss,” Erik said, poking her shoulder and making her immediately alert and stand to attention with a smile. “Thank you for a lovely night. Sorry for the table. You know where to send the bill.” He said and then gave her a grin as we staggered over to the lift, giggling and kissing each other as we waited for the doors to open.

“That was the most fun I’ve have had since I was a teenager.” I told Erik between hiccups, and he squeezed me closer, then kissing me slowly as the lift doors open and we made our way inside, much to the dismay of the tired hotel employee who was inside with us. I didn't bother to question where he had come from and instead just put all of my focus into not falling flat on my face as I looked into the mirror within the lift, my head spinning and vision blurry and double. “Mind, I don't think I've ever been quite this drunk.” I added as Erik stroked my hair, his gestures harsh and sloppy rather than gentle and soft like I was used to. Still, the thought was there.

We tumbled out of the lift once we got to the ground floor and then made our way outside, the pavements crowded with photographers and journalists who were all shouting questions at us. The right lights were making me feel more and more nauseous by the second and I knew that if I didn't get away from them soon, I would throw up. Thankfully, Erik seemed to realise this and his blazer was soon covering my head so that everything was blocked out and he was guiding me through the parting sea of paparazzi. I suppose it was a little bit like Jesus when he parted the Red Sea, but that was a metaphor that was both silly and not worth going into.

Erik shoved me into a cab and then shut the door behind us once we were inside, the driver immediately zooming off before we had the chance to do up our seat belts or tell him exactly where it was we were going. Both Wimbledon and Harrow were at least an hour away so I took the decision to phone Raven and see if I could borrow her apartment whilst she was away. She, albeit resentfully, allowed me to and before I knew it we were pulling up outside her little gated home, the taxi driver dropping us off by the gates. I pressed my thumb to the lock and the gate beeped to let us know that it was open. Erik and I went through and then down to Raven’s house. I pressed my thumb to the door handle and then gave it a good hard push, the door opening and revealing her large sitting room. I shut the door behind us and made sure that it was locked, the control screen beside the door bleeping to life.

“Good morning Mr Xavier and guest.” It said in a clearly computer generated voice. Erik looked over his shoulder to me as he took off his shoes and blazer, then taking my hand again and dragging me upstairs and along the hallway, flinging doors open until we eventually found a bedroom. We went in and I kicked the door shut behind us, immediately working to undress Erik has he undressed me, the two of us caught up in a rough kiss as we finally got each other's shirts and waistcoats off, discarding them on the floor beside the bed. I pushed Erik down onto the soft duvet and straddled him, allowing him to fiddle with my belt buckle and then pull down my trousers, I doing the same thing to him between wet kisses. We discarded our trousers and I moved my lips from Erik’s to his jaw instead, and then his neck and down to his collarbones whilst he sat between my legs, writhing and groaning in pleasure.

“Don't fuck about with foreplay.” He said to me as I went back up for another kiss. “Just fuck me would you?” He asked and I hummed out a laugh, reaching over to look through the side tables to see if I could find any condoms or lube. To my surprise, I found both tucked away in the back corners of her paperwork draw and then took off my briefs and rolling the condom on, Erik turning over so that he was propped up on his hands and knees. I covered his tight hole with lube and scissored two fingers inside him gently and then lined myself up, gasping at the soft sob he let out as I pushed in. His head was turned and watching my every moment, my lips instinctively going to meet his as I thrusted in and out slowly, allowing him to get used to the sensation. At this point I realised that we had never had sex before and had never even gotten past the point of a few quick blowjobs or handjobs just to pass the time. Sex was something we hadn't even spoken about and then here we were, fucking in Raven’s bed whilst drunk on champagne and expensive cocktails. All in all, it wasn't what I was expecting my first experience with Erik to be like, and I almost knew that it wasn't now he intended to lose his virginity. Well, his male virginity anyway.

But either way, I knew that he was enjoying it from the noises that he was making, occasionally begging me to go faster or whimpering out my name as I hit his G-spot. His shoulders had given way and his head was buried into the pillows as I fucked him at just the right speed and in just the right position. He was weeping with pleasure as I held his hips, my pelvis beginning to slam against his soft arse, his cries as pleas drowning out the sound that we were making. I leant forward to kiss between his collar bones and then moved my hands to his shoulders so that I could slightly change position and hit his g-spot straight on.

Before I knew it, we were both reaching our highs and I pulled out, peeling off the condom and then tying it and throwing it into the bin, then flopping down beside Erik and looking up at him, his cheeks red and lips swollen. All in all, he looked well and truly fucked. He leant over and gave me a kiss, then pressing our foreheads together and holding me close, his hand resting on my lower back.

“That was so much better than I could have ever expected.” He informed me between kisses. “Your cock… Christ, it's like we’re weird puzzle pieces.” I laughed and then kissed him again, wrapping my arms around him and then resting my head against his collar.

“Your metaphors are worse than mine, you know.” I said to him and he grinned, shaking his head and giving me one last kiss.

“And that's why you fancy me so much.” He teased, then pulling the blanket over us both and settling against me, his eyes fluttering shut as I pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. “Goodnight, Charles Xavier.” He whispered and I smiled, laughing softly.

“Goodnight, Erik Lehnsherr.” I whispered but before I knew it, he was fast asleep. I watched him for a few moments and then got up, making my way through to the ensuite to have a quick cold shower to get rid of all of the sweat I had accumulated and to try and sober up a little bit. I could never get to sleep when I was drunk and when I did, it would just be another nightmare. After the last nightmare I had had, one involving me, my brother and my father, I was far less inclined to even contemplate going to bed whilst tipsy, let alone almost blind drunk.

By the time I had gotten out of the shower and brushed my teeth I was feeling a lot better and a lot more sober. I had a few glasses of water to pry off the hangover that was looming and then made my way back to the bedroom, climbing back under the sheets and wrapping an arm around Erik, trying to avoid his sticky stomach so I didn't get myself dirty again already. I fell asleep a short while later and awoke when Erik pulled the curtains open some eight hours later, sunlight flooding into the room and waking me.

“Morning.” I mumbled, opening my eyes and looking over to Erik who was stood in only his boxers, hair wet and sticking up all over the place. His eyes were squinting at the sunlight and bloodshot, a clear indication that he needed to get back to bed and have some Berocca immediately. I voiced my concern but was just met by the wave of his hand.

“Things to do, papers to call, articles to laugh at, public relations meetings to attend.” He said, then looking down at our crumpled clothes and then back to me. “Learning to walk again.” He added and I laughed, then getting out of bed and taking the two paracetamol capsules Erik had left on the side table for me, not that I really needed them. I put my pants back on and then went over to Erik, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and then leaning up to kiss him.

“I'll be more gentle next time, promise.” I told him and he smiled, kissing me back. “Now, what shit is being spread about us?” I asked and he chuckled, taking my hand and leading me through to the living room where, by some miracle, he had managed to set the Smart TV up to the internet and was now broadcasting the front page of The Sun, The Mirror, The Daily Mail, and The Daily Star on the screen. I sat down and looked at each headline, then looking up to Erik who was also staring up at the screen. “And I'm assuming that this is why you need to call a PR meeting?” I asked him and he nodded, smiling at me and then sinking onto the sofa next to me and taking my hand in his. “Not sure quite how I feel about Charles Xgayvier.” I told him, eyes running over the story that one of the papers had posted. “Clever, but patronising.” I added as Erik picked his phone up from the coffee table. Coffee. I needed coffee. I stood and went through to the kitchen, filling the kettle with enough water for the two of us and then waited.

Whilst I didn't mind the articles and the witty headlines that they had come up with, it was clear to see that it was bugging Erik to no end. He had been pacing up and down the living room like he was waiting for the world's most important phone call and his eyes were not only those of a hangover, but also those of stress. I knew that there was nothing more I could say to make things alright so just left him to pace and grumble under his breath. But none of the articles had mentioned our full blown kiss and instead the reassuring little kiss Erik had given me once we had finished with the photographers, and also the fact I had put #besfriendboyfriend as one of the hashtags on the photo I had posted to Instagram. But Erik was cool with that, so it was fine. It was all fine.

\---

Waking up beside Charles again was as wonderful as ever. It was just nice to watch him slowly breathing for a little while, a small smile on his face and his chest rising and falling evenly. He was truly beautiful but I couldn’t help but let my mind wander to the fuzzy happenings of the night before. He had kissed me, in the middle of a crowded room of celebrities I adored and had worked with, maybe would work with, and he seemed to be uncaring and instead just insisted that it would be good for us. I was dreading the response to it, the articles that the papers were going to write and the drama that the fans were going to kick up, not to mention how my ‘team’ were going to respond to the news that I was a little bit gay. My mind was then back to Nina and my parents, thinking about how they were going to react when they found out about Charles and I. Nina knew, she would be fine with it, but my parents on the other hand? I didn’t hesitate to say they would murder me. Being gay really wasn’t acceptable in my family, so I was expecting phone calls from my parents by midday, just so they could tell me to come pick Nina up or, hopefully not, that they were keeping her.

When I checked my phone, the time reading 07.19, I had about a hundred missed calls from Alex, my American representative, and one text from Nina, just reading _Ich liebe du, Papa. xx_ I worried at that point wondering just what terrible headlines had inspired her to send such a sincere message. I got out of bed and hopped into the shower, washing myself and my hair and then put my clothes from the day before back on and going into the living room, flicking through the apps on the Smart TV and then finding the one for The Sun. I selected the app and then clicked on it, chuckling to myself as the headline popped up on the screen. Save to say it was nowhere near as bad as I had been expecting it to be, albeit factually incorrect.

“Girlfriend.” I muttered to myself with a soft laugh and then turned the television off. So there was nothing to worry about then, apart from Alex getting herself all wound up over nothing again. So what I was dating a man, so what he made me happy, so what he looked after my Nina when I was sleeping. He was a good man, a wonderful man, and I liked him a lot. There was nothing any of the papers could do to stop me.

I eventually got around to phoning Alex who was, to my surprise, still awake even though it would have been past midnight in LA. She just informed me that she couldn’t sleep because she was trying to  _clean up the mess I had made_ and was already contacting the press without my permission. I decided to let it slide once she told me that all she said was that we wanted some privacy which was very true.

When Charles and I left Raven’s house a few hours later, once we had sorted out the PR bits and pieces and Charles had put out a tweet to thank the fans for their support, we were met by no paparazzi what so ever which was all very strange. I could only assume that Raven had been far less eloquent when talking about mine and Charles’ privacy to the press, either that or word of our location hadn’t got to them yet.

“Do you want to come back to mine?” He asked once we got to Green Park tube station, the streets already busy with tourists who were nudging each other and pointing over to us. The noise was making my already hammering headache become worse but we had no real other options, so I nodded and he lead me in the direction of which line we needed to catch. Before I knew it, we were sat on a tube on our way to Wimbledon, Charles’ hand in mine and his head resting on my shoulder, eyes shut. “Do you want some painkillers?” I looked down to Charles whose eyes were now open and connecting with mine. “Your head is very cloudy today.” He informed me, then reaching into his bag to get me a bottle of water and some paracetamol. The bag was one of Raven’s and contained their suits from the night before, a bottle of water each and some hangover aids for myself. He did look rather odd carrying around the large Celine tote bag but I doubted that he cared, he was far more concerned about his favourite suit getting back home in one piece.

“Please.” I said to him and he rummaged around, getting me my bottle of water and tablets which I quickly took, then having a long gulp of water. I gave him the bottle back and thanked him with a soft kiss to the temple, then allowing him to settle back against my bicep, his hand still in mind. We managed to fall asleep for a short period of the second part of the journey and woke up just before we got to Wimbledon, then getting off the tube and heading into the bustling station, men and women in their nicest clothes wandering around as we tried to get out without being seen. It was at that point I realised that it was the height of tennis season and Wimbledon was in full swing, the tennis competition, as always, bringing thousands to this little part of London. There was a positive mood in the air that was really raising my spirits after our somewhat odd morning, the happy laughter and smiles really making my stomach feel warm and head hurt slightly less. This was how I always wanted London to be all the time. It was always too loud and negative and crap, never happy and buzzing with unity like Wimbledon currently was.

“You’re being very quiet, love.” Charles said to me after we left the tube station and made our way to a quieter part where I assumed Charles’ place was. He hadn’t really expanded on where he lived, whether it was a flat or an 18 bedroom mansion, all I knew was that it was in a fairly affluent area of Wimbledon surrounded by other celebrities. If it was anything like Raven’s, then it would be rather nice. “Thinking?” He asked and I nodded, looking over to him with a smile. “About what? Me?” He asked, nudging my shoulder with his. I laughed and shook my head, giving him a small smile.

“Of course you, Charles. I’m always thinking about you.” I said to him and he knocked me on the chest, giving me a playful glare as we reached another corner and were met by a large iron gate surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of paparazzi. “Oh, so that’s where they’ve all been hiding.” I mused as we made our way down the road, the photographers immediately turning to look at us, their cameras snapping away as we made our way to Charles’ large house which was set back quite a long way from the road. Charles tapped in the code to the gate and we went in, I shutting the door behind myself and then following him up to the front door. We went in and I kicked off my shoes, looking around the large building. It was beautiful, so homely and so very Charles-like. It was warm and bright and so very clean, the stairs well polished and carpets pearly white and clean. On the bottom step was a large orange cat basking in the sun, clearly fast asleep.

“That’s Watson.” He informed me as he took off his shoes too, leaving them by the door beside mine. “After the geneticist, not John Watson.” He added and I chuckled, then crouching down to gently pet him. John opened his eyes and looked up at me, purring happily as I pet behind his ear. Charles chuckled and placed a hand on my lower back, then leading me up the stairs. “His little brother, Laurence, is normally in my room.” He informed me as we then went into Charles’ bedroom. There was a cabinet on the wall containing his awards, including one particularly shiny BAFTA from the most recent ceremony.

“Well done you.” I said as I made my way to the cabinet, reading the plaque. _BAFTA For Best Actor in a Leading Role 2016: Charles Xavier._ “Hmm, very well done you.” I added and then turned to look back at Charles who was now wandering about with a slightly smaller, fluffier ginger cat in his arms. I went over to him and gently pet the fluffy cat who was clinging onto Charles’ t-shirt, loudly purring. “Never won a BAFTA, always wanted to.” I said and he chuckled, giving me a soft kiss.

“I assure you, we will both get one for The Boys.” He told me with one of his cheekiest smiles and then gave me another quick kiss. “And if I get one, I’ll give it to you.” He added with a chuckle and then sat down on the edge of his bed. “Mind, if none of us win a BAFTA then I might have to launch a full investigation into the fraudulent running of the board." He mused and I rolled my eyes, then laying down on the bed and crossing my legs at the ankle. 

"Oh be quiet you." I grumbled and then gently pulled him back so he was laying beside me, Laurence curling up on his chest and loudly purring. "You know, you'd be very unlucky to not win one again..." I told him as he turned his head to look at me. "You're a fantastic actor, my dear. You deserve Oscars and BAFTAs galore." He placed a gentle kiss to my jaw and looked up at me, nestling his face into my neck. "And also the cutest human in existence." I added and he chuckled, gently petting Laurence's soft fur and letting out soft sighns of contentment. 

"We should go see some tennis later... Raven's got me two all season passes. I have two box seats and everything." Charles informed me and I raised an eyebrow, looking down at him and brushing a soft bit of hair behind his ear. 

"I would like that. But I think I need to sleep a bit more to get rid of my hangover first... These tablets are doing nothing for it." I told him and he nodded happily, then sitting up and wriggling around so he was more comfortable. 

"I find a fry up normally helps." Charles told me and I chuckled, then nodding. "All that grease and those calories normally make the headache fizzle away." He added and I hummed a sound of agreement. "I'll get the stuff in for one... I think I only have eggs." He said thoughtfully and I gently kissed him, trying to shut him up.

"That would be lovely darling, but I would quite like a nap now." I told him and he gave me a smile before nodding and shutting his eyes, his arm tucking under me and his hand still gently petting his cat. I watched him for a little while before hugging him close and falling asleep myself, enjoying his warmth and comfort. 


End file.
